As baseball fans we have all learned not to be surprised when we hear any name associated with performance-enhancing drug use. That being said, Ryan Braun is one of those names that causes the tiniest raise of the eyebrow. You wouldn’t really expect to hear Braun’s name thrown in with the likes of Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi. According to Braun’s teammate, Brewers pitcher Shaun Marcum, it would be a huge surprise if the rest results are upheld and Braun is suspended for 50 games.
“I’d be shocked,” Marcum said according to the Journal Sentinel. “Like I say, he is one of those guys – his image, everything he does in the game – he is just one of those guys who you would never suspect or think he was taking anything illegally or do anything to cheat. I have seen him in the weight room. I have seen him in the batting cages. His work ethic is second to none. … I could never imagine him or think he was going to do something performance enhancing-wise to cheat. He is just one of those guys who respects work.”
Marcum said he heard the news via text from his mother when he was out in Las Vegas. We already had Aaron Rodgers defending Braun in saying that there should be some sort of confidentiality with the tests until after the appeal, and it’s hard to argue with that. Rumors have swirled about prescription medicines and substances other than steroids or HGH, but unfortunately for Braun we’ve grown tired of hearing those excuses.
It is always a possibility that Braun wins his appeal, but that has never happened in baseball when dealing with failed drug tests. Like Marcum explained, it is the job of his teammates to support him until he’s proven guilty. If he is, it will be yet another reminder that you can no longer trust anyone — regardless of how unlikely it may seem that they would cheat.
