A.J. Perez

USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman became the first athletes named in last month’s Al Jazeera America documentary on performance-enhancing drugs to file defamation lawsuits.



Howard and Zimmerman each filed their lawsuits in Washington’s U.S. District Court on Tuesday, alleging the athletes were “have been damaged by outrageously false and defamatory statements recklessly” made by the cable news network’s documentary, The Dark Side.

The lawyers for each wrote that the financial impact on their clients "ultimately will be in the millions." Howard and Zimmerman each seek damages in excess of $75,000, the threshold for civil cases filed in federal court.

A message left with Al Jazeera America was not immediately returned.

Peyton Manning pledges full cooperation as NFL looks into Al Jazeera HGH report

In the documentary, Charlie Sly, a former pharmacy intern at an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic was caught on a hidden camera linking Zimmerman, Howard, among others, to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The documentary, also using Sly as its lone source, linked shipments of human growth hormone to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning has also denied the allegations and threatened legal action.



Sly, who said he supplied Howard and Zimmerman with a banned anabolic agent called “D-2” recanted his statements a day before the documentary aired on Dec. 27. Lawyers for Howard and Zimmerman wrote that Al Jazeera America ignored a cease and desist order before the broadcast.



"Today I authorized my attorneys to file suit against Al Jazeera and its reporters," Howard said in a statement. "Their irresponsible reporting forced me to take this action to protect my name and to fight back against the spreading of these lies. I will have no further comment, as the filing itself contains all I need to say."



Lawsuits such as these can be risky for athletes. Los Angeles-based lawyer Arthur Whang told USA TODAY Sports last week that beyond spending thousands in legal bills, athletes soon find another downside to litigation: discovery, which often include depositions.



"It can be dangerous to sue because a defendant can probe into actual allegations," Whang said. "That's because truth is a defense. Al Jazeera could use the litigation to probe the accusations which plaintiffs may not want."



Plus lawsuits are also rarely successful, Whang added.



“You often hear a lot of bluster about suing and then they learn what it will cost,” Whang said. “Actual malice is hard to prove."