Braun Suspended for Remainder of 2013 Season: Aaron Rodgers' Reaction

[Invader3K]

Here's link to comments from Aaron Rodgers that just came out: http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/Rodgers-shocked-disappointed-in-Braun-after-suspension-217126341.html

 

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Braun Suspended for Remainder of 2013 Season

[And That]

Aaron Rodgers' reaction of disappointment and distrust seems to be more or less a microcosm of how Brewers fans have reacted in general. I am impressed that he didn't back down from his strong pro-Braun statements from earlier. I am also impressed that he took the high road and chose not to Skip Schumaker his response.

 

Kudos to Aaron.

[ilikewisco]

Well, chock up Aaron Rodgers as an unquestioned devourer.

[Invader3K]

Aaron Rodgers' reaction of disappointment and distrust seems to be more or less a microcosm of how Brewers fans have reacted in general. I am impressed that he didn't back down from his strong pro-Braun statements from earlier. I am also impressed that he took the high road and chose not to Skip Schumaker his response.

 

Kudos to Aaron.

 

It was very well thought out. He strongly showed his disappointment over it without being wishy washy, but at the same time didn't engage in any over the top sanctimony or condemnation. I supposed it helps that he had a few days to digest this.

[FVBrewerFan]

Of course he can't say anything. MLB steamrolled him into a guilty plea to make it look like proof of his wrongdoing (which everyone seems to devour unquestioningly) and to intimidate other players, so they're obviously not going to let him be able to speak to the media as a condition on that.

 

 

MLB steamrolled him alright. They probably didn't have any evidence at all other than a scrap of paper from Biogenesis.

 

Somehow they used no evidence and Jedi mind tricks to steam roll Braun into sitting out over 60 games, losing millions, millions more in endorsements, and incurring the wrath of fans, media, and players for years to come. Yea, makes sense to me.

[LouisEly]

Don't knock mma. You apparently know very little about it.

Yes, I am knocking it and yes, I know a lot about it. The son of a very good friend of mine is training to be a MMA fighter at Tito Ortiz's training school in Huntington Beach.

 

Not knocking the fighters - they train very hard and they are definitely athletes. But any activity where the goal is to beat the crap out of another human being, to me, is not a sport. Any activity where participants are allowed to take PEDs and then attempt to beat the crap out of another human being is something I have a lot of issues with. Just my opinion. That, and I lived in Southern California for seven years and can do without the whole Affliction culture.

[RockCoCougars]

At the risk of coming off as cynical, I'd bet that the whole Rodgers/Braun deal is more of a business partnership than a true friendship. The media has helped perpetuate things to get their 'brand' out there, and now I'm sure that Rodgers is regretting the relationship a bit.

[stoutdude04]

Don't knock mma. You apparently know very little about it.

Yes, I am knocking it and yes, I know a lot about it. The son of a very good friend of mine is training to be a MMA fighter at Tito Ortiz's training school in Huntington Beach.

 

Not knocking the fighters - they train very hard and they are definitely athletes. But any activity where the goal is to beat the crap out of another human being, to me, is not a sport. Any activity where participants are allowed to take PEDs and then attempt to beat the crap out of another human being is something I have a lot of issues with. Just my opinion. That, and I lived in Southern California for seven years and can do without the whole Affliction culture.

 

Guess I was wrong. Sorry mate.

[markedman5]

Rodgers and Braun were more then Business associates.......All you had to do was see the Wisconsin sports awards to know that.......they were defintely friends......

 

Grienke weighs in.....http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-zack-greinke-ryan-braun-20130726,0,1333509.story

[DuWayne Steurer]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9512043/whistle-blower-documents-show-high-school-players-received-peds-tony-bosch-biogenesis-clinic-sources-say

 

Bosch supplying PEDS to 16 and 17 year old high school kids. Stand up guy.

[SRB]

Of course he can't say anything. MLB steamrolled him into a guilty plea to make it look like proof of his wrongdoing (which everyone seems to devour unquestioningly) and to intimidate other players, so they're obviously not going to let him be able to speak to the media as a condition on that.

 

 

MLB steamrolled him alright. They probably didn't have any evidence at all other than a scrap of paper from Biogenesis.

 

Somehow they used no evidence and Jedi mind tricks to steam roll Braun into sitting out over 60 games, losing millions, millions more in endorsements, and incurring the wrath of fans, media, and players for years to come. Yea, makes sense to me.

I'm sure if you were threatened with a career-ending ban that would cost you >$120,000,000, you would be eager to stand strong on your principles in order for baseball writers and people on the internet (who already hate you) not to be mad at you. Makes sense.

[jjfanec]

Rodgers and Braun were more then Business associates.......All you had to do was see the Wisconsin sports awards to know that.......they were defintely friends......

 

Grienke weighs in.....http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-zack-greinke-ryan-braun-20130726,0,1333509.story

 

Greinke almost sounds like some of us fans in that interview. I really like that guy

[ilikewisco]

Of course he can't say anything. MLB steamrolled him into a guilty plea to make it look like proof of his wrongdoing (which everyone seems to devour unquestioningly) and to intimidate other players, so they're obviously not going to let him be able to speak to the media as a condition on that.

 

 

MLB steamrolled him alright. They probably didn't have any evidence at all other than a scrap of paper from Biogenesis.

 

Somehow they used no evidence and Jedi mind tricks to steam roll Braun into sitting out over 60 games, losing millions, millions more in endorsements, and incurring the wrath of fans, media, and players for years to come. Yea, makes sense to me.

I'm sure if you were threatened with a career-ending ban that would cost you >$120,000,000, you would be eager to stand strong on your principles in order for baseball writers and people on the internet (who already hate you) not to be mad at you. Makes sense.

 

You have went round and round with this same tired argument. If he did nothing wrong he doesn't take the suspension. When he finally does admit to doing something wrong will you finally eat crow? Because right now you are saying Braun is a victim of MLB and never did anything wrong. If you do believe that you are blinded by your mancrush on Braun. MLB is not going to go this far and hand out a suspension to someone who is innocent. And if he was innocent he would have never taken the suspension. Its not that hard to grasp, cite one report where MLB was colluding on a lifetime ban and forced Braun to do this. By the sounds of it Braun knew he was caught and finally faced the music, while looking like a complete buffoon in the process.

[homer]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9512043/whistle-blower-documents-show-high-school-players-received-peds-tony-bosch-biogenesis-clinic-sources-say

 

Bosch supplying PEDS to 16 and 17 year old high school kids. Stand up guy.

 

 

Well to be fair, their parents were the ones bringing them in to the clinic. So....the parents are even worse.

[BrewCrewForever]

Zack Greinke still the best. God I miss that guy. So far I have really appreciated the comments from Lucroy, Greinke and Rodgers. Sound like a lot of the fans.

[SRB]

You have went round and round with this same tired argument. If he did nothing wrong he doesn't take the suspension. When he finally does admit to doing something wrong will you finally eat crow? Because right now you are saying Braun is a victim of MLB and never did anything wrong. If you do believe that you are blinded by your mancrush on Braun. MLB is not going to go this far and hand out a suspension to someone who is innocent. And if he was innocent he would have never taken the suspension. Its not that hard to grasp, cite one report where MLB was colluding on a lifetime ban and forced Braun to do this. By the sounds of it Braun knew he was caught and finally faced the music, while looking like a complete buffoon in the process.

I have no evidence to conclude that he did nothing wrong, my point is simply that accepting a plea deal for a reduced suspension is not conclusive evidence that he's guilty. The 2011 failed test was far greater evidence that he was guilty than this current suspension. MLB thinks he took something--whether they have strong proof or not--and were going to railroad him no matter what it took. What's Braun supposed to do when MLB circumvents the arbitration process and suspends him with an appeal to Selig only? At a certain point it becomes a pragmatic decision for him and his advisors, where taking a $3M hit (and harming a reputation that was already permanently tarnished) made more sense in terms of risk calculus.

 

MLB has a massive agenda in acting tough on drugs, so they need to make an example out of somebody. And a lifetime ban for a huge star (who's already tainted in the eyes of the public) isn't out of the question; just watch what they are going to try to do to A-Rod if he doesn't roll over.

 

But yeah, the notion of MLB colluding to keep somebody they don't like out of the game is totally absurd:

 

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/sites/default/files/photos/barry_bonds_jersey.jpg

[Ayt]

I agree with Bruce. If you don't idolize and worship pro athletes as super heroes this really doesn't come as a shock or provide some great outrage as a crime against humanity. I actually almost feel empathy for those that exhibit such delusion. These guys are just providing entertainment. Pro sports is just entertainment with little to no meaningful consequence to any of your real lives. Regardless of wins and losses ALL OF YOU still have to get up the next morning and go to work.

 

I still love Ryan Braun. Sure I'm going to miss him the rest of the year. But get the time served and move on. He made a mistake, he screwed up. Nobody's perfect. We all fall short of the glory.

 

Wish I had said it this way. ^

 

BRAVO!

 

It is a truly bizarre statement to make.

 

I'm sure if you were threatened with a career-ending ban that would cost you >$120,000,000, you would be eager to stand strong on your principles in order for baseball writers and people on the internet (who already hate you) not to be mad at you. Makes sense.

 

So he was facing a lifetime ban? Did they also put a gun to his head and tell him to accept the deal or else?

[ilikewisco]

SRB, so you think Bonds was totally clean as well. I agree there was collusion to make him retire, but come on. I like Bonds and think his reasoning for using was pretty sound if the rumors are true. All I'm trying to say is you keep insinuating Braun is clean and many other players have been guilty in public opinion for far less. If you want to feel that way its fine with me but don't insult our intelligence for disagreeing with you.

[SRB]

SRB, so you think Bonds was totally clean as well. I agree there was collusion to make him retire, but come on. I like Bonds and think his reasoning for using was pretty sound if the rumors are true. All I'm trying to say is you keep insinuating Braun is clean and many other players have been guilty in public opinion for far less. If you want to feel that way its fine with me but don't insult our intelligence for disagreeing with you.

The point is not whether Bonds was clean or not, the point is that MLB made up their mind, didn't want him in the game anymore, and colluded to end his career (despite the fact that in his final season he put up offensive numbers better than almost any MVP in recent history). Now MLB and the Yankees are seemingly trying to do the same thing with A-Rod, and there's no reason for Braun to have thought that there wasn't at least a possibility they could make him the public example to end things once and for all. If there was just a 2% chance that they would ban him by alleging multiple violations at once or something (costing him $120M) then it was an easy choice to take a $3M plea.

 

Many players have been guilty in the court of public opinion for far less, but that doesn't make it proof that they were guilty. That's my point. I never insulted anybody's intelligence, if that was your conclusion from me suggesting that proof of guilt does not necessarily follow from a guilty plea then that's on you.

[markedman5]

If he were innocent he never would have accepted this deal......he saw the evidence...he gave up any chance to be in the Hall of Fame.....he is now a pariah in the sport he loves....his peers are ripping him in the media....some fans who loved him now hate him

 

 

Who would accept that if they were innocent?

 

Nobody........

 

Either way my guess is he will make a statement at some point in the future that will make it clear that he did indeed violate the drug agreement putting all of this back and forth to rest.

[RockCoCougars]

I don't buy that he's ever going to make a very clear and definitive statement in the future. I have a feeling that we are always going to hear that there is some reason (legal or otherwise) that he can't come completely clean. That's unfortunate to me, and I don't think that his handlers and PR team have done him any favors to this point either.

[BrewCrewForever]

While part of me would like Braun to spill all the beans, the other part of me thinks it is best left unsolved. Just go out and rake for the next 7 years like you did your first 7 years and keep your nose clean. Do that and even the fans he lost will come back and while it will never be fully forgotten, it could come close.

[MNBrew]

I keep thinking that no matter what Braun says, there will still be tons of people who will find it unsatisfactory. He's put himself in the unenviable position of now never pleasing everyone -- and he'll never even come close.

 

So as BCF just stated above, the best thing Braun can do is says what he can -- respectfully, sincerely, and (most importantly) humbly -- and, starting next year, start another string of many years that hopefully mirror his 2012 production. Then, in retrospect, just maybe, his production will show that whatever PEDs he was involved with really didn't make any difference given the consistency of his performance both pre- and post-suspension. . . . It's worth hoping for, both for his sake and, more importantly, the Brewers' sake!

[ilikewisco]

The point is not whether Bonds was clean or not, the point is that MLB made up their mind, didn't want him in the game anymore, and colluded to end his career (despite the fact that in his final season he put up offensive numbers better than almost any MVP in recent history). Now MLB and the Yankees are seemingly trying to do the same thing with A-Rod, and there's no reason for Braun to have thought that there wasn't at least a possibility they could make him the public example to end things once and for all. If there was just a 2% chance that they would ban him by alleging multiple violations at once or something (costing him $120M) then it was an easy choice to take a $3M plea.

 

Many players have been guilty in the court of public opinion for far less, but that doesn't make it proof that they were guilty. That's my point. I never insulted anybody's intelligence, if that was your conclusion from me suggesting that proof of guilt does not necessarily follow from a guilty plea then that's on you.

 

I just want one thing to be clear, you think MLB would do this to Braun even if he were 100% innocent and did completely nothing wrong? If that is true I think you are letting your hometown bias sway your judgement way too much. I understand why he would take the suspension now, its pretty obvious. But I don't think MLB would go this far against a player if they weren't positive that the player were breaking the rules. And if they did ban him for life and he were completely innocent I'm sure the players' union would have his back. I just don't agree there is even a 2% chance, I would call it zero, that they could ban an innocent player for life.

[mothershipconnection]

I keep thinking that no matter what Braun says, there will still be tons of people who will find it unsatisfactory. He's put himself in the unenviable position of now never pleasing everyone -- and he'll never even come close.

 

We live in an age of people freaking out about every tidbit regarding a royal baby from another country. We've become accustomed to getting every detail right away, so even "I used [drug name] for X cycles in 2009, 2010, and 2011" wouldn't be sufficient. People would want a a 2-hour sit-down interview where he breaks into tears multiple times.

 

All I'd really care to know was how long he used. This would help predict how well he'll play going forward. If he used during his whole career, we can fear declining skills. If he used for half of one season and was clean for the rest, we can feel pretty confident that he'll continue to be worth his salary.