Per ESPN: Braun Tests Positive, May Face 50 Game Suspension (Part 1)

[jlau20]

ESPN is saying no one has ever successfully appealed a positive test. Before they were saying no one has successfully appealed the 50-game suspension from a positive test. I think that second part is a no brainer. Which one is it. If you're at the point of suspension you've already had your chance at an appeal, failed, and MLB suspends you. And obviously no one has successfully appealed the suspension, given there's only been a couple of handfuls of them between the majors and minors. You'd have to think the first part is wrong... there's had to have been positive tests that have been appealed successfully and like others have said we just don't hear about them. I hope.

 

End result so far for me is that my distaste for ESPN continues to grow. It's been bad for years, but atleast I can see some highlights from games I normally wouldn't be able to. Tonight has just been rough though. It just seems like they aren't doing enough of a job to emphasize that it's still in the appeal process. I know we're mostly biased in the situation but it feels like I'm watching a smear campaign against the guy.

 

Oh well. I'm in the camp that is indifferent to the PED situation as I can understand why people in their positions would want to use them. Still, it would be nice to have a player of Ryan's caliber that can play it clean. Like everyone else, interested to see the full fallout from this.

[ecjimg]

This is what I get for hoping and praying that Pujols gets caught.

[brewtank34]

I just got back from work and read this entire thread. Frankly, I'm upset to be associated with many of you! Within seconds of hearing the news come out, the majority of you were chastising him and passing judgment on information you did not know anything about. As stated earlier, if this story would not have been leaked to ESPN, and he is found innocent, then none of us would ever have known about this. I feel confident that Braun will win his appeal and everyone of you who threw stones at Braun tonight will have to answer to yourselves and seriously kick yourselves in the behind.
How dare you! Wait till the facts come out.

In Braun I trust! When has he ever demonstrated a personality, physical structure, change in his game that warrants ANY of you to cast blame. He's been a model of consistency. PEDS result in changes in your production patterns.

I'm very very disappointed in many of you.

[burnzy24]

There are some really comical over the top homer comments going on in this thread.............. sue ESPN?!?!?

Nothing over the top and comical about a potential defamation suit. If Braun is vindicated, however remote the chances are, I can't think of anything more damaging to a players marketability than being wrongly linked to PED's by a report by ESPN.

[And That]

I'm very very disappointed in many of you.

I was coming here to point out that a JS commenter said "Let's just get rid of him" but then...

[TooLiveBrew]

In Braun I trust! When has he ever demonstrated a personality, physical structure, change in his game that warrants ANY of you to cast blame. He's been a model of consistency. PEDS result in changes in your production patterns.

 

I'm very very disappointed in many of you.

 

Aside from innocent-until-proven-guilty, how is any of the 'blind mistrust' different from your blind faith in Braun?

[Beast Light]

I can't help but think if this were Matt Holliday, people on this board would be responding much differently.

 

Hopefully he will be cleared but I am not holding my breath.

[And That]

Aside from innocent-until-proven-guilty, how is any of the 'blind mistrust' different from your blind faith in Braun?

I'd like to think that, collectively, we'd have faith in the good parts of our players, not the bad parts.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I have a feeling he's going to be cleared of this. Not leaving any wiggle room in his texts to TH. Not saying it's a misunderstanding, not saying it was a mistake, he's saying he's totally innocent and is kicking and screaming to get to tell his story.

[Beast Light]

There are some really comical over the top homer comments going on in this thread.............. sue ESPN?!?!?

Nothing over the top and comical about a potential defamation suit. If Braun is vindicated, however remote the chances are, I can't think of anything more damaging to a players marketability than being wrongly linked to PED's by a report by ESPN.

Defamation? For what? One of his spokesman confirmed the positive test. I'm not really sure how ESPN could be successfully sued in this.

 

[jjfanec]

I can't help but think if this were Matt Holliday, people on this board would be responding much differently.

 

Hopefully he will be cleared but I am not holding my breath.

Of course they would. What is wrong with giving the guy on the team your root for the benefit of the doubt? Braun adamantly claims his innocence and calls the results bs. I will wait to hear his side of it. I would rather give him the benefit of the doubt then starting to rip him right away if it turns out he was innocent. Below is Braun's quote.

But Braun was quite adamant that he will get this positive drug test overturned. He said he wanted to hold a press conference today to give his side of the story but was adviced against it while the process is ongoing.

"I can't wait to get that opportunity," said Braun.

"This is all B.S. I am completely innocent."

 

[And That]

Braun went to the extent of violating Brewerfan message board code of conduct to say he's innocent.

 

He's innocent.

[JJHardy7]

In regards to the NEVER ever post I made...that is what has been reported. My guess is it is on the 50 game suspension...could it be positive test? Not sure, but it's clear if he goes down the suspension path it most likely won't be changed.

 

In the PR world, I think it was perfect timing. This thread has changed into somebody at ESPN found something and leaked it...if that is true...it's all PR IMO. Perfect timing either way IMO. NFL is much bigger than MLB IMO, but on a day w/o college football at all this story randomly leaks minutes before the Hesiman...hmmmm....hmmmmm. I think that maybe points to ESPN leaking something they shouldn't, but who knows.

 

I really, really like Braun. I hope some how...some way...this isn't true. I can only imagine the Cubs, Cards, and Reds boards right now. Like I've said before, I'll somehow wait for Braun's story. If I'm not a Brewers fan though, I don't know how many times stories like this were 'leaked' and at the end of the day the accused was innocent. I hate to say that, but let's be honest. If this was any other player in our division, we'd be celebrating. As long suffering Brewers fans, we're trying to justify this. I hope we get that fluke reason why this happened...please.

[brewtank34]

In Braun I trust! When has he ever demonstrated a personality, physical structure, change in his game that warrants ANY of you to cast blame. He's been a model of consistency. PEDS result in changes in your production patterns.

 

I'm very very disappointed in many of you.

 

Aside from innocent-until-proven-guilty, how is any of the 'blind mistrust' different from your blind faith in Braun?

Sure is a lot easier to chastise someone without knowing any facts rather than showing loyalty to your team/players and being patient while waiting for the facts, hey?

 

 

 

 

[The Truth]

The more the night goes on and the more info that comes out, the more I think Braun is innocent and will be found innocent.

[TheCrew]

brewtank34 wrote:

Sure is a lot easier to chastise someone without knowing any facts rather than showing loyalty to your team/players and being patient while waiting for the facts, hey?

It's a fact that he failed a test - someone from Braun's camp already confirmed it.

[JJHardy7]

The more the night goes on and the more info that comes out, the more I think Braun is innocent and will be found innocent.

 

I sure hope so. I don't know if he'll ever be 'innocent' in regards to HOF votes though depending on what the story is. Unless he's been doing this his whole career (which I think is doubtful), his numbers didn't take a huge spike this year. ESPN tried to portray that, but that isn't true.

 

How often were players tested under old CBA?

[danzig6767]

In Braun I trust! When has he ever demonstrated a personality, physical structure, change in his game that warrants ANY of you to cast blame. He's been a model of consistency. PEDS result in changes in your production patterns.

 

I'm very very disappointed in many of you.

 

Aside from innocent-until-proven-guilty, how is any of the 'blind mistrust' different from your blind faith in Braun?

Sure is a lot easier to chastise someone without knowing any facts rather than showing loyalty to your team/players and being patient while waiting for the facts, hey?

 

 

 

It should be easy to see why many Brewers fans are at the least somewhat skeptical of the denials by Braun given that pretty much everyone else who who has been caught for PED's denied it initially, and often forcefully denied the charges. Only until later on the denials proved to ring hollow.

[TheCrew07]

Are we traveling down the road of another "true fan" discussion? As in somehow if you weren't totally supporting Braun you were disloyal and not a true Brewer fan?

 

Personally speaking, I'm much more loyal to people I have a personal relationship with than those I don't. In fact if I don't know you at all there's no way I'm going out on a limb to support your credibility. I don't know Ryan personally, he plays for the team I root for, but there's no way I'm going out on a ledge for him especially given the history of PED denials. This may not even be a PED issue and could possibly be misreported as was the case with Salome, it's all way too fuzzy at this time to make definitive conclusions either way. I would think the majority of people assuming guilt are doing so because not PED suspension in any sport has ever been overturned. I wouldn't have pegged Rogers for the type of guy that would earn a suspension, but he failed a second test to earn his. I'm just at a point where nothing surprises me anymore.

 

As I said in my initial post, I'll reserve further comment on the matter until more details come out but my initial reaction was negative.

[pebadger]

Another scenario for thought:

 

You work at a place that requires you to take drug tests. You're in a high profile position with a visible organization. Now imagine your HR person approaches you and tells you that you've failed a drug test and you're going to lose your job. You know that you didn't take the drug for which you tested positive. How are you going to handle this? Now assume that, to keep your job, YOU are the one that has to prove that you didn't take the drug. How are you going to prove you didn't do something? Every time you say you didn't, they say "We have a positive test that says you did."

 

How do you keep your job? How do you salvage your reputation.

 

That's pretty much the situation Braun is in, if he is in fact innocent. His word means nothing. He is presumed guilty. He can't explain why the test says he's guilty because he most likely doesn't know why the test says he's guilty. If there is something in his sample that he can't explain, he's guilty. Even if he can explain it, most explanations will nonetheless leave him adjudged as guilty. If he rushes to explain his situation without fully understanding it, and then more facts come to light which cast doubt upon his explanation, it looks like he was just making up a story to further his denials. If proclaims his innocence, he is just another cheater in denial. If he offers no explanation, he is assumed not to have one.

 

This is the system we have built to root out drug cheats. There are some good reasons for having the system we have. There are also minimal protections for those who stand accused of wrongdoing. I guess since we're not sending anyone to prison with the system that makes it OK, right? Right?

[bucksman4]

When I first heard this, it was as though I was shot in the stomach. The guy we were tied to for the next decade was a cheater. No better than McGwire, Giambi, Clemens, or Bonds. A fraud, phony and a cheater.

 

No player has ever been able to overturn the suspension or prove their innocence once PED's have been detected. I'm sick of the "I didn't knowingly take anything..." argument.

 

Having said this, if he is innocent, I will give him the complete benefit of the doubt. If he proves his case and his suspension is overturned, i can regain respect for him overnight.

 

But...if history holds and he is found to be a cheater, I'd lose all respect for him. To be as "cocky" as he is in his abilities and to stoop to the level of a fraud would be sickening. He will never be in the same conversation in Brewers' lore as Robin Yount. His number will never be retired in Miller Park. He will never be a HOF'er. And rightfully so. This tarnishes his MVP. It should be Matt Kemp's now, if this is true.

 

Those who condemned the guys I mentioned above when they tested positive should join me in condemning Braun if he's a cheater. I was sick to be stomach at those SF fans who looked the other way and didn't look down on Bonds when he cheated the game of baseball. This makes me sick, and I have no sympathy for Braun, only we fans who will never look at him the same.

[Beast Light]

Remember another person that forcefully denied PED allegations?

 

Roger Clemens

[dlk9s]

If it makes anyone feel any better, I'm sure Ryan has played with many teammates over his career who've juiced while Brewers.

No, doesn't make me feel any better. I really don't care (in a relative sense) if Laynce Nix juiced. Ryan Braun is the face of the franchise, is my favorite Brewers since Yount and Molitor, and is on his way to becoming the best Brewer of all time and a Hall of Famer. If he really is guilty of cheating, it's a pretty devastating blow to me as a Brewer fan. Obviously, life goes on - I don't get torn up over sports - but it would be a really tough pill to swallow coming off a season which was not only tremendous, but was also the first one in which my daughter actually knew Braun's name and my son knew enough to say "Brewers!" when he would see baseball on TV.

[1992casey]

If he proves his case and his suspension is overturned…

 

There's no suspension to overturn at this point.

[And That]

Again, Braun was never "caught for PEDs." A set of ESPN reporters reported that he failed a test. MLB doesn't suspend him, he hasn't been caught.