Braun Faces Suspension for Drug Test

[Hardy Blonde]

Braun faces suspension for positive drug test
Brewers slugger, who won 2011 NL MVP, is appealing finding
By John Schlegel and Evan Drellich / MLB.com | 12/11/11 1:46 PM EST

Recently named the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player, Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun failed a drug test he was given as a part of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Policy, according to multiple reports, but there were differing accounts on Sunday as to what triggered the violation.
ESPN.com, the outlet that broke the story, reported on Saturday that a performance-enhancing drug led to the failed test. On Sunday, FOX Sports and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel both cited sources who said it was not a performance-enhancing drug that led to the violation.
According to sources cited in the ESPN.com report, Braun submitted a urine test during the playoffs in October that showed a level of testosterone high enough to trigger a positive test. A second test on the sample revealed that the testosterone was exogenous, or from outside Braun's body, meaning it was generated by a synthetic substance.

FOX's Ken Rosenthal offered a different account via Twitter.
"What he did triggered violation of #MLB steroid-testing policy," Rosenthal wrote. "Source says substance was prohibited, but not PED."
The Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricort cited a source -- categorized specifically as someone from Braun's side -- who said that "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 positive result has Braun facing the requisite 50-game suspension for his first violation of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Policy if the initial finding stands, but the positive test has not been announced because Braun is appealing the finding through an arbitration process.

A source close to Braun told ESPN.com that the outfielder immediately requested a second test after learning of the results. The source said the second test result was not positive.

Braun responded to the test result by telling MLB.com's Adam McCalvy in a text message: "I would love to talk, but unfortunately I'm not really allowed to say anything right now. My day will come soon, though."
Officials from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association have not commented on the report.

A spokesman for Braun released the following statement on Saturday: "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate that there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident that he will ultimately be exonerated."

Braun told USA TODAY of the test result, "It's B.S."
In a statement released Saturday night, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said the club had not been contacted by MLB about the test results. He stressed that the appeal process must play out before there is a rush to judgment.

"Ryan Braun has been a model citizen in every sense of the word, both in the Milwaukee community and for the Brewers. Since joining our organization in 2005, he has been a person of character and integrity," Attanasio said in the statement.
"MLB has put a confidential testing program into place, which I personally support, that has a specific review process that must be followed before determining whether a player is in violation. Ryan has issued a statement that there are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case that will support his complete innocence and demonstrate that there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. We are dealing with an incomplete set of facts and speculation. Before there is a rush to judgment, Ryan deserves the right to be heard. We are committed to supporting Ryan to get to the truth of what happened in this unfortunate situation.

"As a father, I take the use of prohibited substances seriously, because I know the effects they can have on the body and on a person's life. I want the Milwaukee community to know that we support drug testing not only because it is MLB policy but because it is the right thing to do.

"I need to acknowledge that at this point the Milwaukee Brewers have not heard from the Office of the Commissioner or any official entity related to the MLB testing programs. Accordingly we do not have access to any of the facts or knowledge of any of the circumstances that are being circulated in the media with regard to Ryan Braun. The team will release follow-up statements at the appropriate time."
Braun, 28, helped lead the Brewers to a franchise-record 96 wins in the regular season and the NL Central title, their first since moving to the NL in 1998 and Milwaukee's first division title overall since 1982. He hit .332 with 33 home runs, 111 RBIs and 33 stolen bases to hold off the Dodgers' Matt Kemp in the MVP vote.

A first-round pick of the Brewers in 2005, Braun has hit .312 with 161 homers and 531 RBIs in five seasons, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007 and racking up four All-Star appearances and four Silver Slugger Awards.


I am in such major denial right now I'm praying with everything that I am that this is false......Say it ain't so Brauny
However if it does turn out to be true MVP should stay with him. Word is the test was given before the award...If they at all knew the results before giving it to him it's their own fault in the first place.....How long does it actually take for results?? We're talking almost a 3 month span here.....Can't convince me it takes 3 months for piss and blood test results with 2 different tests.........Something is fishy......I hope....

[brewcrewrock]

Maybe it's another case of the Brian Cushing "overtrained athelete syndrome". In all seriousness, i really hope this isn't true, not just for Braun's reputation, but for the Brewers 2012 season, 50 games is a lot of games! We need him to be in the lineup even more so with Fielder as good as gone.

[Hardy Blonde]

They are really dragging their feet. IF they had what they needed then just suspend him already....I'm glad it's taking this long but I pray that everything works out fine. No news is good news but if it comes to be I can live with 25 games but 50 is ridiculous especially if it's not a steriod.

[Hardy Blonde]

NL MVP Ryan Braun to reportedly break silence at New York awards banquet Saturday | brewers.com: News

[love_that_reefer]

That should be an interesting night!

[Tobywan]

Very interesting since supposedly he is killing two birds with one trip to NY, reports say his hearing started yesterday.

[zodious]

He was cleared, won his appeal, suspention lifted.

the first time a baseball player successfully challenged a drug-related penalty in a grievance.


Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das


Ryan Braun wins appeal of 50-game suspension - ESPN

[Kingdom]

MLB got Shyam'ed

[zodious]

Braun didn't argue evidence of tampering, didn't argue anything about science being wrong but argued protocol had not been followed. A second source confirmed to ESPN investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada that Braun did not dispute the science but rather questioned chain of custody/collection procedure.

essentially Braun didn't win because he didn't Juice... he won because they handled it wrong...

[catman]

The results were so high that he'd have been quite ill had they been accurate. It is possible that the mishandling of the sample caused a false positive.
Lab tests must be handled properly to be accurate.

[catman]

Also, this leads me to say again that MLB needs to license and market supplements for players to use. If they take the licensed supplements, they have nothing to be concerned about.

[Providence A's]

Who knows. Good news for baseball though.

[zodious]

Depends, I don't know how the test is taken. I work for a laboratory. If its Urine it should be good for 5-7 days, if blood its 48 hours, unless refrigerated which lengthens the time its good. A frozen specimen can last a whole month.

Obviously the test itself is a determining factor in the length of how good the specimen is. There are a few that are Stat... but you wouldn't ship those as it sound like was done in this case....

[love_that_reefer]

I am very shocked that Braun won his appeal but I don't think this is over. If Braun did in fact take another test after he was told of the failed test and it came back negative, that says a lot to me. Brewers fans rejoice and the rest of the NL Central sighs.

[DMBZeppelin]

The results were so high that he'd have been quite ill had they been accurate. It is possible that the mishandling of the sample caused a false positive.
Lab tests must be handled properly to be accurate.

There was NOTHING wrong with the results. They didn't win because the results were wrong. They won on a technicality. The results were fine.