Now that Ryan Braun is suspended for 65 games after taking a deal with Major League Baseball, Alex Rodriguez may be next on the chopping block and many feel that his recent injury is connected to him knowing that a suspension is coming.
Rodriguez was linked to the same clinic that Braun is connected to and now he may be the next superstar to get nabbed for the scandal and it could be coming down any day. The suspension of the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, which was announced in a statement by MLB on Monday, will keep Braun out of the final 65 games of the 162-game season and any potential playoff games.
MLB did not specify why Braun had been suspended, though the 29-year-old is among at least 20 players in the league who have been implicated in the Biogenesis doping scandal which is being investigated by the commissioner's office.
"As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect," Braun, the NL's most valuable player in 2011, said in a statement. "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."
Braun, along with other big-name players such as New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, has been suspected of procuring performance enhancing drugs from Biogenesis, the now-shut Florida anti-aging clinic.
"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," said Braun, a five-time All-Star who has won five Silver Slugger awards.
"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."
Braun, sidelined early this season by a stiff neck and later by an inflamed nerve near his right thumb, had a .298 batting average with nine home runs and 38 runs batted for a Brewers (41-56) team that is in last place in the NL Central.
He was suspended for 50 games by MLB after he tested positive for elevated testosterone levels in October 2011 but that ban was overturned four months later after he successfully appealed.
It was the first time a baseball player had successfully challenged a drug-related penalty in a grievance, Braun having argued that testing protocols had not been strictly followed.
Rob Manfred, MLB's executive vice president for economics and league affairs, said in a statement on Monday: "We commend Ryan Braun for taking responsibility for his past actions.
"We all agree that it is in the best interests of the game to resolve this matter. When Ryan returns, we look forward to him making positive contributions to Major League Baseball, both on and off the field."
Players Association executive director Michael Weiner, whose union has also said it wanted action against anyone found cheating, added: "I am deeply gratified to see Ryan taking this bold step.
Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Bud Selig has made no secret of his intention to punish players to the full extent that were found cheating through the now-shut Biogenesis clinic under its joint doping program with the Players Association.
Players union chief Michael Weiner said the association would fight for players they thought were innocent or being punished too severely, but would encourage those that were guilty to accept fair punishment.
"Players that deserve suspensions, we'll try to come up with a fair suspension," Weiner, wheelchair-bound as he fights the later stages of brain cancer, told reporters before last Tuesday's All-Star game in New York.
"Players that don't deserve suspensions, we'll argue that they don't serve a suspension and I hope we have success."
Braun escaped a 50-game suspension following his 2011 National League MVP season when his positive test for elevated testosterone levels was overturned after he challenged protocols over how his urine sample was handled.
This time, the 29-year-old Milwaukee Brewers slugger took his punishment without a fight.
"I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes," Braun he said in a statement. "I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions."
Baseball officials were satisfied.
"We commend Ryan Braun for taking responsibility for his past actions," said Rob Manfred, an MLB executive vice president who deals with labor issues. "We all agree that it is in the best interests of the game to resolve this matter."
Among the 20 or so players implicated in the Biogenesis scandal, in which baseball secured the cooperation of the clinic's chief, are some of the game's biggest names.
Alex Rodriguez, who tops the career home run list among active players, has been sidelined so far this season after hip surgery but was hauled in for questioning by MLB investigators earlier this month.
Outfielder Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers and pitcher Bartolo Colon of the Oakland Athletics, both pennant-contending teams, have also been linked to the scandal.
Colon was suspended for 50 games last August for failing a doping test.
The punishment scale of 50 games for a first offense, 100 for a second, and a lifetime ban for a third only applies to failed drug tests, and not 'non-analytical' violations as are alleged to have occurred in the Biogenesis scandal.
"It vindicates the rights of all players under the joint drug program. It is good for the game that Ryan will return soon to continue his great work both on and off the field."
Weiner, who is confined to a wheelchair as he battles brain cancer, said earlier this month he expected MLB investigators to finish their interviews within weeks but that any penalties would have to be discussed between the league and union.
(Reuters Quotes)
