Golfer Vijay Singh filed suit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday for the "public humiliation and ridicule" he endured during the tour's 12-week doping investigation.
The lawsuit claims the PGA Tour relied on WADA's list of banned substances and methods without doing any of its own research.
"[The tour] rushed to judgment and accused one of the world's hardest working and most dedicated golfers of violating the rules of the game," Singh's lawyers said, according to the Associated Press.
"I am proud of my achievement, my work ethic and the way I live my life," Singh said in a statement. "The PGA Tour not only treated me unfairly, but displayed a lack of professionalism that should concern every professional golfer and fan of the game."
Singh filed the lawsuit in a New York court, where he lives and the tour has an office, on Wednesday - one day before The Players Championship. The 50-year-old Fijan plays on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.
His lawsuit is the result of the tour's doping investigation into comments Singh made in January in a Sports Illustrated article. He admitted to using deer antler-spray, saying he uses the spray "every couple of hours. I'm looking forward to some change in my body."
Deer-antler spray commonly contains IGF-1, a human growth-like hormone that is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The tour intended to punish Singh after a sample of the deer-antler spray he used tested positive for IGF-1.
The tour ultimately dropped their case against Singh on April 30 after WADA essentially removed the spray from its banned list. WADA cited that the spray was no longer prohibited because it contained only a small amount of IGF-1
"He's looking to reclaim his reputation and hold the tour accountable for acting irresponsible," a lawyer for Singh said. "He's concerned about his reputation. There should be an asterisk next to Vijay's name."
