Last evening it was announced that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun had won his appeal of his 50-game suspension. In doing so, Braun becomes the first player in major league history to have a positive drug test overturned.
The decision came down to a three-man panel and arbitrator Shyam Das cast the deciding vote. With a 2-1 decision, Braun’s appeal was overturned.
Since it was initially reported that Braun had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, the reigning National League MVP made it clear that an appeal was on the horizon.
What had caused the original positive test has been disputed from the beginning. Braun called the results “B.S.” and demanded a second test. This came back negative, but didn’t change the fact that a positive test was still on the table.
Because of this, it appeared all but certain that Braun would miss the first 50 games of the 2012 season. Even though it did not appear that Braun was using performance-enhancing drugs, no player had ever won an appeal for a drug suspension.
And if it came down to the science or accuracy of the test, Braun would have been just like all of his counterparts. However, Braun and his representation went another route. They argued that the courier handling Braun’s sample didn’t follow protocol.
While the initial sample was collected on Friday October 1, it was not shipped until Monday October 3. MLB’s drug agreement states that unless something unusual has occurred, samples “should be sent by FedEx to the laboratory on the same day they are collected”.
Braun was “pleased and relieved” by the ruling. He said that the decision is the first step in restoring his good name and reputation. Braun noted that the reason his appeal was overturned was because he is innocent and the truth is on his side.
And then there’s Major League Baseball. The league made it clear that it “vehemently disagrees” with the decision rendered by Das. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency called the ruling “a real gut-kick to clean athletes”.
Whatever your opinion, it is obvious that one of the big winners in all of this is the Brewers. Before the decision was announced, Milwaukee was prepared to enter the seasons sans Prince Fielder, who was signed by the Detroit Tigers, and Braun.
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