Braun Faces Suspension for Drug Test

[DMBZeppelin]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...raunsuspension

Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called the decision “a real gut-kick to clean athletes.”

During the hearing, Braun’s side challenged the chain of custody from the time the urine sample was collected by Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc. to when it was sent, nearly 48 hours later, to a World Anti-Doping Agency-certified laboratory in Montreal, two people familiar with the case said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because what took place in the hearing is supposed to be confidential.

The sample was collected on Oct. 1, a Saturday and the day the Brewers opened the NL playoffs. The collector did not send the sample to the laboratory until Monday, thinking it would be more secure at home than at a Federal Express office during the weekend.

Baseball’s drug agreement states that “absent unusual circumstances, the specimens should be sent by FedEx to the laboratory on the same day they are collected.”

“To have this sort of technicality of all technicalities let a player off … it’s just a sad day for all the clean players and those that abide by the rules within professional baseball,” Tygart said.

Das, who has been baseball’s independent arbitrator since 2000, informed the sides of his decision, but did not give them a written opinion. He has 30 days to do so.

“Today the arbitration panel announced its decision, by a 2-1 vote, to sustain Ryan Braun’s grievance challenging his 50-game suspension by the commissioner’s office,” a statement from the players’ association said.

[DMBZeppelin]

Passan is from Yahoo Sports


Jeff Passan ‏ @JeffPassan@ChadMoriyama Let me rephrase: Braun's argument wasn't that the test was wrong. Lawyers didn't go there. It's that the test was mishandled.

Jeff Passan ‏ @JeffPassan@ChadMoriyama You know I've ripped the hell out of USADA and WADA before, right? I called to see if how sample was handled was SOP. It was.

The Common Man ‏@commnman
@JeffPassan It's a victory for all athletes, since they shouldn't have to worry about their tests being tampered with.

Jeff Passan ‏ @JeffPassan@commnman Just saw this. The tests weren't tampered with. Seals, bags and box showed no signs of tampering. In most doping programs, SOP.

Jeff Passan ‏ @JeffPassan
@commnman Even the union acknowledges this is a part of the testing program that should be changed in the joint-drug agreement.

[Tobywan]

The problem with the chain of custody being broken and the collector/tech himself taking the sample to his home is............. it leaves an opening for doubt that it was the actual sample taken from Braun that turned up positive. If this guy has access to vials, labels and bags he could do ANYTHING with them. Just because the guy works for a company that is supposed to be above board doesn't mean he is honest and THAT's the seed of doubt that is planted once it is revealed that protocol was not followed. I wouldn't be surprised if that is mentioned when Das' pens his written opinion.

I certainly would wonder about the procedure when a man has what 30 tests in his career and nothing, then all of a sudden a tech doesn't send the sample off when it is required and it winds up getting stowed in his basement ( AND supposedly this has happened before in other cases???? are you KIDDING ME!!!) and his test is positive?

Considering how this was handled IF Braun truly believes it was IMPOSSIBLE for him to have tested positive and I was him, that would be my first question .....was it really even my pee that got tested or was it switched by the collector, switching wouldn't reveal any signs of tampering.

[love_that_reefer]

Linsanity was the top story over Braun and this historic case :pathetic:

[Tobywan]

It's Lincredulous.

[Hardy Blonde]

Thank GOD! Weights can be lifted now. According to Chris Narveson, who is the clubs spokesperson for testing, this isn't the first time it's happened in Milwaukee...Seriously??????? Someone had to be severely jealous to ruin Brauns career...Time to find better ways to do drug testing. MLB needs ONE lab for tests and that be it. Don't let local hospitals or clinics handle them. Although how can you find someone to truthfully handle them?

[realmofotalk]

Someone had to be severely jealous to ruin Brauns career...

LOL, you're sounding like a Charger fan during the time Shawne Merriman tested positive. OH NOES teH pharmacists were out to get him!!

[HollywoodLeo]

It's plausible

[DMBZeppelin]

Thank GOD! Weights can be lifted now. According to Chris Narveson, who is the clubs spokesperson for testing, this isn't the first time it's happened in Milwaukee...Seriously??????? Someone had to be severely jealous to ruin Brauns career...Time to find better ways to do drug testing. MLB needs ONE lab for tests and that be it. Don't let local hospitals or clinics handle them. Although how can you find someone to truthfully handle them?

What are you talking about? Standard procedure was followed. It was just a technicality in how the MLB had the rules written. That's why everyone involved isn't happy.

This is more like a court case where you're CLEARLY guilty, but the evidence gets thrown out over a technicality.

If Braun was innocent he'd have said from day 1 why his levels were so high. He's never denied failing the test. Just that there was a reason for it.

[love_that_reefer]

The more facts that are coming out, the more I'm on the side of Braun. Apparently the urine collector left the specimen out on his desk for two days instead of keeping them in a cool and secure location. Braun also offered a DNA test after knowing of his failed test and baseball denied him. Why MLB would do that, I don't know. It might be like the whole Rick Reilly/Sammy Sosa incident when the Player's Union told Sosa he couldn't take the urine test Reilly proposed. Braun has denied it from day one and seemed to do all the actions of an innocent man. I'm sure more facts will come out that make me lean another way. But again, all I care about is the Braun is in fact playing which puts a whole new outlook on the Central.

[Tobywan]

Braun most certainly has denied the positive test was due to him taking PED’s, that the positive test had to be for ANOTHER reason as was stated from an “outside source”. He claims to have never knowingly taken anything that should have produce a positive result.

The reason others claims of not knowingly taking something yet still being punished is because of the stipulation that they need to be careful of everything they put in their bodies especially outside of MLB approved products.

In this particular case, somewhere along the line the development that this collector didn’t follow the standard procedure as set by MLB, of sending the sample immediately to the lab, that it stayed in his basement or on a desk or whatever is where a whole range of other scenarios can be speculated.

Now I have read this morning that supposedly a sample just sitting for a couple days shouldn’t affect the result..not sure if that is true.

As I stated before what I would be interested to know is HOW is it determined that the sealed vial, bag and box was in fact the sample given by the person? Is it sealed up in front of the person, does he and maybe even another witness have to sign the labels on the sealed bag or box as a sign that yes, this sample is indeed from me? The only way it could be switched is if someone were a really good forger. If all of that is only done by the person collecting and then it is taken and kept, there is nothing to say that the sample that left the room is the same one that was sent for testing. Also, now long after the fact would anyone be able to determine if that positive sample was indeed from Braun or did they just assume the label reflects it belongs to this person because they wouldn’t have any reason to suspect that something shady was done?

I would imagine this was something that was explored in the investigation or it may be something that would have to be investigated separately as to the possibility of wrong doing by this collector. The arbitrator just could feel that because it wasn’t handled in the timely manner it should along with the revelation that the levels on the result were extremely high even for a positive result leaves doubt of the integrity of this particular case.

According to some sources there were other issues besides the collector keeping the sample, so it will remain to be seen if any of that is made public since in reality none of this was supposed to be public until it was all over anyway and usually it is just the punishment not the procedures of the testing.

Either there is more to this that may never truly come out or Braun has done a 180 in his known character and is bold faced lying and now gloating and laughing like a hyena that he fooled the system. It hasn’t appeared to me that he has run or hidden from this, he has been as forthcoming as he can while this was in process. According to MLB network is holding a full on press conference this afternoon and more than willing to take on questions. We’ll see if that happens this afternoon.

What’s unfortunate is no matter what the verdict, just for the fact that it was made public this will follow him to a point for the rest of his career. The level of outcry of course will diminish with time but for at least this season every ballpark outside of Miller will be vocal or visual in crucifying him whether or not it is truly justified.


I for one am going to give Braun the benefit of this doubt because I am sure as pissed as MLB is about this if the arbitrator is a final and can‘t be appealed or overturned they will be on him relentlessly and testing him constantly. If he is a user he won‘t be able to fool them forever. If he is able to stay consistent in his play and no more positives turn up then maybe it will help him in his case against public opinion.

[HollywoodLeo]

As I stated before what I would be interested to know is HOW is it determined that the sealed vial, bag and box was in fact the sample given by the person? Is it sealed up in front of the person, does he and maybe even another witness have to sign the labels on the sealed bag or box as a sign that yes, this sample is indeed from me?

I don't know how Major League Baseball does it, but that's precisely how the Navy does it. Witness and all.

[love_that_reefer]

ESPN.com reports that MLB is considering suing in federal court to reverse baseball arbitrator Shyam Das' decision to overturn Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension.
MLB is on record as "vehemently disagreeing" with Das' decision and evidently is weighing the possibility of taking a big step to get their original ruling upheld. Before taking such action, though, they'll reportedly wait until Das issues his written report within the next week or so and their lawyers have had a chance to review it. Braun's case was the first time a player successfully challenged a drug-related penalty in a grievance.

I knew this wouldn't be the last of this.

[love_that_reefer]

Press conference today at Noon CST on MLB Network

[love_that_reefer]

I thought Braun hit a homerun today in his press conference He explained the investigative process very well, why it was overturned and sounded sincere with everything he said. He did take the high road even when it sounded like he was going to rip ESPN a new ******* for a second. I thought he did as well as a person could given the situation.