Ryan Braun was suspended by MLB for 50 games for testing postive for elevated levels of testosterone. Melky Cabrera, Yasmani Grandal, and Bartolo Colon all were suspended 50 games for the same infraction. Braun famously got his suspension overturned on appeal, but the other three names got caught. Now, Ryan Braun's name is linked to the same Biogenesis lab that the other three offenders are.
Braun won his appeal not because his blood sample did not show higher-than-normal levels, but because of the potential that his sample could have been tampered with. His link to the lab, being included on a list of baseball players who owed founder Anthony Bosch money, was reported yesterday by Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, who shared this image:
The image previously blacked out Braun's and other names by the original report by the Miami New Times.
Braun released a statement as to why his name would be included on this list, and it is nothing short of hilarious. The statement is here, via Dayn Perry of CBS Sports:
During the course of preparing for my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant. More specifically, he answered questions about T/E ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples.
There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch's work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under 'moneys owed' and not on any other list.
Oh, okay. With your millions of dollars and high-priced lawyers, THIS was the lab you went to to try to get out of your suspension on a loophole? Further, wouldn't it be your LAWYER'S name there who owed money, not you?
Major League Baseball is investigating this situation. Should Braun's name appear anywhere else, then of course we would know his statement to be inaccurate.
Maybe Braun will end up with that suspension after all.
