Without going on a curse-laden tirade, there are few ways to express my feelings on the Ryan Braun situation, but let me try: Braun undoubtedly should be ashamed of his actions. I mean, what could have been going through the man’s mind when he flatly denied use of performance-enhancing drugs?
What stands out to me in all this is the predominant “me first” attitude blanketing the entire Biogenesis scandal.
And no one epitomizes that attitude more than the man branded as a “wuss” by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith: Braun, erstwhile MVP of the National League.
PED use can be somewhat forgiven, as evidenced by Jason Giambi: In 2007, the ex-Yankee slugger admitted to using a PED, and now, after reinventing himself, he is “beloved” in the Indians’ clubhouse and celebrated as an old dude who can still put bat to ball, as he did in this walk-off home run in July:
Likewise, Andy Pettite, who publicly admitted to HGH use in 2007, has continued his career and is, like Giambi, well-liked by his teammates and respected by Yankees fans.
While juicing is terrible for the players (just look at the health risks, which include higher risk of cancer, severe depression, liver damage, and heart attack), terrible for the fans and terrible for the game of baseball, fans tend toward forgiveness of their heroes. PED use is bad — really bad — but it need not destroy users’ reputations.
The real reputation-destroyer is deceit.
“I truly believe in my heart and I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body at any point.” –Ryan Braun in February 2012 after his initial 50-game suspension was overturned by arbitrator Shyam Das, who was later fired
The above statement, made before the start of Brewers’ spring training in Phoenix, has since been exposed as a brazen falsehood. It’s not just the lie that set baseball fans off–it’s the damning way in which he lied, proclaiming that he would “bet his life” that he never took a PED and that he’s a “victim of a process that completely broke down and failed.”
On July 22, after accepting a 65-game suspension, Braun was singing a markedly different tune.
“As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions. This situation has taken a toll on me and my entire family, and it is has been a distraction to my teammates and the Brewers organization. I am very grateful for the support I have received from players, ownership and the fans in Milwaukee and around the country. Finally, I wish to apologize to anyone I may have disappointed – all of the baseball fans especially those in Milwaukee, the great Brewers organization, and my teammates. I am glad to have this matter behind me once and for all, and I cannot wait to get back to the game I love.”
To make matters even worse for “The Hebrew Hammer,” during the 2011 playoffs Braun’s levels of testosterone — a supplement banned by MLB — were “insanely high, the highest ever for anyone who has ever taken a test, twice the level of the highest test ever taken,” according to the New York Daily News.
On a seemingly daily basis, another story has come out portraying Braun as nothing short of a phony. On August 19, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported that Braun, “told stars around baseball before spring training 2012 that the man who collected his urine that tested positive for synthetic testosterone (Dino Laurenzi Jr.) was anti-Semitic [Braun is Jewish] and a Chicago Cubs fan in an effort to gather support throughout the game.”
Laurenzi later confirmed that Braun’s discrediting comments toward him caused “great emotional distress for me and my family.”
It’s one thing to lie to the cameras, but it’s another to throw another man’s credibility under the bus — and that’s where Braun crossed the line.
Braun’s statements in Phoenix (video below) are, in hindsight, nothing short of sickening and disgraceful.
His lies, persistent and victimizing, ruined the reputation of Laurenzi Jr., ended Das’ career, and let down the countless friends and players he pleaded to for support. One in particular is fellow Wisconsin idol Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers ripped of this series of tweets in 2011 after Braun, with whom Rodgers owns a restaurant, tested positive for a PED and garnered Rodgers’ support:
MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man. Picked the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free #exonerated
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 23, 2012
When its guilty until proven innocent, all u need are the facts. #howsthecrowmlb #exonerated
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 23, 2012
I’ll let my buddy take it from here. All u idiots talking about technicality open up for some crow too. See if Espn gets pressured not to..
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 23, 2012
…let the people hear the truth. Should get interesting. #exonerated #shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 23
Rodgers also bet his salary with a fan on Braun’s innocence. He unquestionably lost the bet and subsequently deleted the tweet.
Rodgers later called Braun’s PED use “shocking” and “disappointing,” and added, “I was backing up a friend. He looked me in the eye on multiple occasions and repeatedly denied these allegations and said they were not true.”
As for the 2011 NL MVP?
“He lied to a lot of people. I was convinced, after that MVP, that he didn’t do it. I think he should hand over that MVP to Matt Kemp,” Dodgers 2B Skip Schumaker told reporters in July.
Dino Laurenzi Jr., the man who collected Ryan Braun’s positive test sample. Braun defamed Laurenzi Jr. in 2012, calling him an anti-semite/ Read Laurenzi Jr.’s full statement on the matter here. BILL SIEL/KENOSHA NEWS
Since his releasing a formal statement after being suspended, he Braun hasn’t spoken to the media. Instead, he left his teammates and coaches to stand uncomfortably in front of the cameras to and answer questions about him- the same teammates and coaches to whom he swore his innocence.
As punishment for all of his deceit, Braun received a 65-game suspension, meaning he will lose a mere losing just $3,251,366 of his monster contract, under which he is guaranteed to earn at least $116 million following his suspension. 65 games simply isn’t enough (the rest of this season and all of next season would be a start), as the financial loss hardly affects Braun at all. His upstanding reputation, however, is long, long, gone.
At this point, for all of his muscle, Ryan Braun looks like a weakling, tossing his now-ruined reputation around like the baseballs he artificially sent to the Miller Park seats throughout his tainted career.
And no drug can fix that.
By Sam Brief
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