Ryan Braun fails PED test. Faces 50-game suspension.

When it comes to things like this, the presumption of innocence is long forgotten. Certain people jump on things like this as though they're the Constitution -- signed by hundreds.

 

Former 400 WR holder Butch Reynolds:

Butch Reynolds was suspended for two years by the IAAF for alleged illegal drug use in 1990. This was the start of a long legal fight, after which the US Supreme Court ordered the United States Olympic Committee to allow him to participate in the 1992 American Olympic trials, after finding the testing procedures were flawed from the beginning. Testers had marked specimen "H6" as testing positive while Reynolds urine specimen was "H5". Lab director Jean-Pierre LaFarge claimed in court that, in spite of the markings, the technician had told him that specimen "H5" was the positive one. Yet "H6" was circled on two separate documents by the technician.[2]

This injunction brought American law and equity into conflict with the rules of International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which prohibited suspended athletes from competing. In fact, the IAAF threatened to suspend any athlete that competed against Butch Reynolds. The American Olympic trial 400 meters heats were postponed for four days, but the IAAF finally backed down. Reynolds finished 5th in the trials, and qualified for a place as a substitute on the American 4 x 400 meters relay team. However, the IAAF (which had administered the flawed test) then banned him from competing in the 1992 Olympics.

That same year Reynolds also won a libel suit against the IAAF, and was awarded $27.3 million in damages. The IAAF stated that the ruling, made in Ohio, had no bearing upon the organisation and was invalid.[3] A federal appeals panel later overturned the verdict on jurisdictional grounds.

Reynolds alleged when he threatened to seek a judicial review, he was warned that if he did, the IAAF would seek a bigger penalty to prevent participation in the following Olympic Games.



Yeah, I know it's from Wikipedia, but I remember this stuff when it happened, plus I'm too lazy to look for other sources myself.

 

mlb's silence was deafening yesterday. if this 'report' wasnt true they would've come to their nl mvp's rescue in about five minutes.one of their golden boys of the 'post-steroids' era has been stained. forever. his rep can never be the same.

i dont see why the brewers would cut him. or why he would be stripped of the mvp award. how many steroid guys won how many mvps? no worries for those of y'all who want to see stripped from his bio; everyone will forever know braun won it as he was being exposed. hard to imagine a tougher p.r. nightmare for mlb or a more stunning name to be sullied.

 

As this is happening, Sally Jenkins writes a terrific argument for the NFLPA's objection to WADA blood testing: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/nfl-players-union-is-right-to-question-hgh-testing-methods/2011/12/10/gIQAsfMalO_story.html

 

Due respect to Ms. Jenkins, but these are questions every applicant for every $9/hour job at Walmart now asks:

What if a stranger told you to take a blood test, showed you a vial and a needle and said, “Here, trust me.” What if the stranger told you that the result could cost you your income or even your job? What if, when you balked, he called you a coward and tried to force you to take it? That’s what NFL players are facing in their standoff with WADA and its American arm, USADA, over testing for human growth hormone.

Welcome to America.

 

I think there is a bit too much end-of-the-world stuff going on right now. I think it's normal that MLB wouldn't come out and comment on an ongoing appeal. They're not going to openly violate confidentiality laws, even though someone obviously did to leak this to ESPN. Let's just wait and actually hear out Braun's claims before making conclusions. If it's as convincing as Braun's claiming it is, this could possibly blow over. No one knows right now.

 

I don't understand your post.

We're not supposed to talk about this?

 

I think the answer to this is because it shows that the system works and that it doesn't discriminate or play favorites. It sends a message to everyone thinking of violating the policy that they might might next.

 

Braun actually makes perfect sense as a PED user. His alleged use fits the pattern. His power totals and slugging percentage dipped pretty badly in 2010 because he was playing through an injury - a wrist if I recall. It seems like it so often happens that guys resort to this when they are trying to "recover" - more like quickly gain back lost strength from time off - from an injury. Mike Golic always says that's why he tried them.

 

And Bonds tested positive on what date?

 

No, because we are supposed to worship athletes and not care that they cheat.

 

What if it's a false positive on a botched test?