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

[Team Canada]

Here's the full text of TH's blog post that was linked above:

 

 

A very good source on the Ryan Braun side of the drug testing controversy assures me that Braun did not test positive for a performance-enhancing drug, as reported by ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

 

ESPN reported that Braun tested positive for a PED that gave him an abnormally high testosterone level, which proved to be synthetic and therefore not produced by the body.

 

But my source -- and again, this is from Braun's end and not MLB -- familiar with the test's findings says the "prohibited substance" was not a performance-enhancing drug or steroid of any kind. And the source says there has "never" been a result like this in the history of the MLB testing program.

 

The source said MLB "knows that Ryan is telling the truth" and that source firmly believes the postive test will be overturned. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?

 

The source said more detail couldn't be provided at this time because of the ongoing legal process. But suffice it to say that this is getting more interesting by the minute.

 

If the prohibited substance Braun tested positive for was a stimulant instead of a steroid, he wouldn't be facing a 50-game suspension. The first offense for stimulants results in a 25-game suspension.

[jason21nl]

Seriously?

 

Yes how dare people believe a report about a player taking a banned substance! How dare people not believe, "I didn't knowingly take a banned substance"

Nothing has even come from MLB yet. You do realize that all of this is supposed to be confidential? How about a witch hunt Sen. McCarthy?

You do realize that people are going to be sensitive to any report that comes out that the face of the franchise is possibly being linked to PED's. That time after time these things turn out to be true? People freaking out or fearing the worse is not out of question and nobody should be ashamed to figure this to be true.

[jjfanec]

This is borderline ridiculous. We are fans we can say whatever the heck we want to say. Just because it was a Brewer this time we are just supposed to believe him blindly? He may get vindicated in this but to ridicule fans for getting on his case seems pretty ill advised IMO.

While the McCarthy reference was over the top. The idea that people are believing Braun blindly is ridiculous. He could be guilty but with the stuff that came out the people who accused him of using PED's already look wrong.

[crewcrazy]

Moderators....

 

When Braun is cleared of any wrongdoing, and he will be, please delete this thread so that players, brewer employees and all of their families will not read this to see how the BREWER FAITHFUL will completely turn on their most loved player without facts or any inside knowledge.

 

Many of you should be ashamed.

Sorry, that's not going to happen. We have discussions like this when it comes to the team playing poorly, too. Supporting the team and players 100% isn't a requirement to post at BF.net. People can express their opinions any way they wish as long as it's within the guidelines of the forum. I think Brewers employees and families know that these are opinions of individual people, not necessarily indicative of the fanbase as a whole.

[The Truth]

I believe Braun. Blindly.

[mrbergmann]

What was it that Mike Cameron was suspended for 25 games for a few years back? Was that a "banned substance" or "stimulant" similar to what the latest on Braun is?

[1992casey]

No one has this story straight.

 

Remember a few years ago when ESPN reported that Ben Sheets was going to be eligible for free agency a whole year earlier than he actually was… then stuck with that story all winter. After that, the bloggers and other press outlets picked up on that misinformation… and stuck with it all winter. The only ones who had it right were the Brewers media outlets and Brewers-related sites.

[pebadger]

This is borderline ridiculous. We are fans we can say whatever the heck we want to say. Just because it was a Brewer this time we are just supposed to believe him blindly? He may get vindicated in this but to ridicule fans for getting on his case seems pretty ill advised IMO.

While the McCarthy reference was over the top. The idea that people are believing Braun blindly is ridiculous. He could be guilty but with the stuff that came out the people who accused him of using PED's already look wrong.

That tends to happen when you run with a story that is sourced only by people who are willing to provide only a single titillating fact about a story in violation of confidentiality provisions that are there to provide some of the only protections the accused have in this process.

Braun may be innocent. He may be guilty. The rush to judgment is appalling. It's also totally expected, which to me is even more appalling.

[jjfanec]

Looks like this could take a while. Tom H latest post. Sounds like MLB is shocked by this too. Tom has done a great job with this

For those expecting a quick resolution to Ryan Braun's appeal of his positive drug test, I have bad news.

An MLB source familiar with the arbitration process and where Braun's defense team is with it told me it could last into January. I was told it is a long, involved process and everything is done thoroughly -- as you'd expect with what's at stake.

The source pointed out that the holidays are fast approaching and legal matters, including arbitration, tend to get side-tracked a bit during that time as family matters take precedence.

That's too bad because I'm sure everyone, including Braun and the Brewers, would like this to be resolved, one way or the other, soon.

My MLB source also told me that those in management were stunned by this report, noting that Braun had been squeaky-clean until now.

"Why would that change?" asked the source.

That, my friends, is the multi-million dollar question.

[jjfanec]

That tends to happen when you run with a story that is sourced only by people who are willing to provide only a single titillating fact about a story in violation of confidentiality provisions that are there to provide some of the only protections the accused have in this process.

Braun may be innocent. He may be guilty. The rush to judgment is appalling. It's also totally expected, which to me is even more appalling.

The PED claim already is in question but sadly it is posted all over the web. Every major sports site is saying ped use, but according to some here we have to believe ESPN

[pebadger]

One huge problem here is that the whole drug testing regime is extraordinarily complicated. These stories, when there is an actual good-faith dispute, a full of nuance. Most of the reporters covering it don't fully understand the subject matter, and nuance, even if it is understood by reporters and editors, doesn't sell well with mass audiences. The stories take a long time to explain. Just the background info is daunting. Nobody wants to read about chemistry. Everyone wants to turn everything into good vs evil. It's fun and easy.

[ninja33]

So how could something other than a PED increase the testosterone level? Am I missing something here or are we not even talking about testosterone levels anymore?

there are medications that can raise testosterone, but the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are used to treat epilepsy....and I'm going to go ahead and say that doesn't fit here. And even then nothing can really explain the fact that the testosterone was exogenous. Well, hopefully something can...but I have no idea what that would be.

[MoreTrife]

Completely agree with others that the rush to judgement sucks. In the past players have made statements denying and claiming "tainted" or mistaken use leading to positive tests. There is much different and stronger claims coming from Braun's camp. I hope, if the truth comes out that there was no PED use, as it seems to be the case, that it is as widely reported and hopefully backed by MLB.

[jjkoestler]

I was pretty bummed out last night after I heard the news, and receiving tons of texts from friends who Cards and Cubs fans did not help (which is hilarious given the players who have been linked with PEDs.) My initial reaction was "Braun needs to be traded!" After sleeping on it I feel much better about the whole situation.

 

TH has done a fantastic job covering this "scandal."

[jjfanec]

TH has done a fantastic job covering this "scandal."

Yep for as much negativity as he gets on this board (and by me sometimes) he has done a great job with this story. He is actually getting facts and sources from both sides.

[jeffy]

Here's the full text of TH's blog post that was linked above:...

 

Now updated/clarified with: "If the prohibited substance wasn't a PED, it still triggered a positive result in MLB's steroid-testing policy."

 

So perhaps this: The presence of a diuretic or masking agent in a Player’s sample shall result in

the Player being re-tested. The presence of a diuretic or masking agent in a Player’s sample shall

be treated as a positive test result if the IPA determines that the Player intended to avoid

detection of his use of a Prohibited Substance.

 

http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/jda.pdf

[ninja33]

Here's the full text of TH's blog post that was linked above:...

 

Now updated/clarified with: "If the prohibited substance wasn't a PED, it still triggered a positive result in MLB's steroid-testing policy."

 

So perhaps this: The presence of a diuretic or masking agent in a Player’s sample shall result in

the Player being re-tested. The presence of a diuretic or masking agent in a Player’s sample shall

be treated as a positive test result if the IPA determines that the Player intended to avoid

detection of his use of a Prohibited Substance.

 

http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/jda.pdf

but the positive test result was (reportedly) due to an elevated testosterone level, which was found to be synthetic after further testing.

[Schlitz001]

So the whole ESPN story about elevated and exogenous testosterone is now false? I'm confused.

[jjfanec]

So the whole ESPN story about elevated and exogenous testosterone is now false? I'm confused.

Yeah it seems like the espn report would negate a masking agent, but i guess I dont know

[WisconsinSportsRule]

The fact that this story was leaked before the appeal process took place really pisses me off. I just hope for Braun's sake and the Brewers, he can show something wrong with this test.

[JJHardy7]

I really hope Braun is telling the truth...the on the field frustrating part though is that it could last until January. We all know we have holes to fill and not knowing if we have Braun for the first 50 games or not doesn't help that. I wish this could be resolved sooner so that if he is cleared it still doesn't ruin our off-season.

[jeffy]

...but the positive test result was (reportedly) due to an elevated testosterone level, which was found to be synthetic after further testing.

 

 

Yeah, my guess there would not fit with that. But is there anything that could make all the reports correct?

 

A source close to Braun...said...that substance was not a performance-enhancing drug.

...

Another source, however, said the substance in question triggered a violation of baseball’s steroid-testing policy, even if it is not technically listed as a PED.

...

ESPN quoted sources who said Braun's positive result was triggered by elevated levels of testosterone in his system. The testosterone was synthetic...

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/...0-game-suspension-121111

[pebadger]

At the Turin Olympics a US skeleton driver was banned from competition for testing positive. What he took was a harmless hair growth medication. He had always listed this medication on the forms that are part of the testing protocol, even though it was not listed as a banned substance. He didn't list in on the forms at the Turin Olympics, though the US federation still knew he took the drug. What he didn't know was that the medication had been reclassified as a banned substance, as it was thought to be a masking agent. Since he didn't list it, he tested positive without valid excuse and was banned from competition and suspended for a year. Everyone knew he wasn't a cheat, and the testers admitted as much, but rules are rules. After the Turin Games, the medication was taken off the banned list. He competed in Vancouver.

 

I tell this story, because what is and is not banned, and the science behind all this stuff continues to evolve. Many things that are banned are banned because the testers think that those substances make it harder to catch cheaters. Most often they are right, but hey can be right at one time and then things change and something that was a problem before isn't a problem now. And all the while the substance in question can be completely benign from the perspective of being a "PED". We have a good idea how these things work, but nobody has an omniscient understanding of biochemistry. Sometimes you get results that don't make a lot of sense. This can happen for a lot of reasons. The response of the testers has been to pronounce these results as "positives" if they meet the criteria, and force the accused to sort it out.

 

This stuff is complicated. The chemistry is complicated. The rules are complicated. Anybody who tries to make it simple is just that: simple.

[JimH5]

Completely agree with others that the rush to judgement sucks.

 

I actually like the rush to judgement. It speaks of the passion that fans feel toward these players. We could sit back on our hands and wait for things to play out, or we could vent our feelings as we're feeling them. Why else are there in-game threads?

 

In the end, it doesn't matter if we're upset or relieved or saddened or angry in December--it only matters if we don't buy tickets or watch the games or buy the beer.

[pebadger]

Judge Landis loved a rush to judgment, too. Showed how much passion true-blue Americans had for their homeland and the fight against the Red Menace.