Ryan Braun Ruling Proves He is Not Guilty, Does Not Make Him Innocent
If you did not know already, Ryan Braun successfully appealed his positive test for performing enhancing drugs this week.
What you may not realize is how he did it.
The appeal was settled by arbitration, and Braun’s lawyers were able to get his 50-game suspension lifted due to a part-time piss tester failing to abide by the MLB guidelines.
The lawyers presented the fact that Braun’s sample was not properly contained. It had sat on the desk of this man for two days, rather than being properly cooled in a secure location.
The reason for this? FedEx was closed when the man went to ship the sample.
By the letter of the law, Braun and his lawyers did exactly what they should have done. They put MLB and its ridiculous policy under the microscope, doing what needed to be done to get Braun playing baseball.
The Brewers will be sending the law offices of David Cornwell a nice gift for Christmas this season.
However, in the court of public opinion, Braun is not off the hook. The mishandling of his sample only serves to prove he is not guilty, it does nothing to prove his innocence.
If you found me standing over a dead body with a smoking gun, you would call me a murderer. But if the cops fail to read me my miranda rights or someone mishandled evidence, I could get the case dismissed.
The fact is Braun tested positive, and the fact that his piss sample was at room temperature rather than a cool 38 degrees doesn’t make any difference to me.
I need more proof, and apparently Braun was willing to give it. Braun offered to give a hair sample for DNA testing, which was approved by the player’s association, but MLB turned it down.
This whole situation is bad for both sides. MLB needs to fix this asinine policy ASAP, and maybe stop using part-time people who work at hospitals full-time to administer tests.
With the amount of revenue Bud Selig and his organization makes, you would think they would take it more seriously.
Braun will no doubt have to spend the next several years clearing his name. Despite winning his appeal, his fight will have the same affect on him that those players before him (who did not win their appeals) felt. Fans turned on them, and they rarely recovered.
You cannot blame Braun or his lawyers for the steps they took, but you can still be realistic. The smoking gun is in Braun’s hands, with MLB laying motionless on the floor.