Ryan Zimmerman’s shoulder isn’t as bad as originally thought, but he still might be headed to the disabled list. (Photo by Chris Staley)

The Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in a new documentary. (Photo by Chris Staley)

The doping scandal dirtying quarterback Peyton Manning’s name has implications for Washington sports fans, too.

A new documentary from Al Jazeera implicates Nationals infielder Ryan Zimmerman in an undercover investigation into performance-enhancing drug use among professional athletes. The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers claims that several football and baseball players, Zimmerman among them, received either human growth hormone or a steroid called Delta 2 from an anti-aging clinic based in Indianapolis. Zimmerman stands accused of using Delta 2.

Doctor of pharmacy Charlie Sly said in the documentary that “I worked with [Zimmerman] in the off-season…[Delta 2] does its job.” Sly later recanted his entire story.

Zimmerman denied the accusation to Al Jazeera.

The Nationals yesterday issued a statement in support of Zimmerman. “We do not find Al Jazeera’s report—which has already been recanted by their source—to be credible…We are confident Major League Baseball’s investigation will show the allegations levied in the report are unfounded.”

Zimmerman, who has been on the Nats since 2005, has suffered from shoulder injuries since 2011. In 2012, he signed a 6-year, $100 million extension that runs through 2019, with a club option for $24 million in 2020.

You can watch the full documentary here:

Filed Under: al jazeera, doping scandal, nationals, peyton manning, Ryan Zimmerman,