Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is reportedly planning on doing something he’s avoided since first testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2011.
That something? Telling the truth.
According to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, Braun is ready to admit that he used PEDs in parts of the 2011 season—the same year he was crowned National League MVP and led the Brewers to the NLCS.
Braun’s friends shared the news with Nightengale on the condition of anonymity because the 29-year-old slugger has yet to make an announcement; however, they claim the list of individuals who will receive an apology for being lied to includes MLB commissioner Bud Selig, drug testing sample collector Dino Laurenzi Jr., teammates and peers.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is probably on that list, too.
Despite being involved in two separate PED scandals since the news broke in December 2011, Braun has maintained his innocence concerning steroid use.
Braun, who was suspended by MLB in July for the remainder of the 2013 season, was initially able to escape punishment from the league for his 2011 failed drug test. He managed to win his appeal of a 50-game suspension on a technicality—Laurenzi made a mistake in handling the urine sample.
After leading the NL in home runs (41) during the 2012 season, Braun was back in the news for steroids this offseason. Tim Elfrink of the Miami New Times implicated Braun as part of the Biogenesis clinic scandal, and MLB dropped the hammer for his involvement with clinic owner Anthony Bosch.
As Braun makes his apology circuit official, he might have even more explaining to do, with new details emerging that far precede his MLB career. According to ESPN, his former friend, Ralph Sasson, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Braun with claims that include the slugger used steroids and accepted improper benefits when he was a student at the University of Miami.
When it rains, it truly pours.
For Braun, the past few weeks have to feel like a torrential downpour.
The truth won’t restore his tainted legacy or eliminate any of the obstacles he’ll face over the next couple of seasons, but it’s a nice start toward true redemption.
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