WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals said assistant hitting coach Jacque Jones has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation.
The team said the suspension is connected to a legal matter.
The club announced Jones' suspension less than a half-hour before the scheduled first pitch of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between Washington and the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs on Friday night. The Nationals lost the opener 3-0.
"That was kind of a downer before the game," Washington manager Dusty Baker said, "because he's a big part of the team."
Court documents, according to multiple reports, note that a lawsuit has been filed against Jones and the Nationals on the grounds of revenge porn.
The suit, which was filed last week in San Diego Superior Court, accuses Jones of distributing nude photos of the plaintiff, Jane Doe, with whom he ended a relationship in August.
The suit also alleges that the Nationals "knew of Coach Jones's propensity and predisposition to emotionally abuse and intimidate women."
"(The) plaintiff is seeking justice for Coach Jones's intimidation and emotional abuse in connection with his distribution of private and intimate photos of plaintiff while on the job with the Washington Nationals," attorney Rory Pendergast said in an email to USA Today.
Jones, 42, retired as an MLB player in 2008 after 10 years with four teams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.