04/20/24
August 23, 2013
Ryan Braun Admits Using PEDs, Lying to Cover It Up: Ryan Braun has admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his NL MVP season in 2011. "Now that the initial MLB investigation is over, I want to apologize for my actions and provide a more specific account of what I did and why I deserved to be suspended. ... I have disappointed the people closest to me -- the ones who fought for me because they truly believed me all along. I kept the truth from everyone."
That's a nicely composed apology
I assume English majors coming out of college have two options: write Buzzfeed-style pieces or apologia for celebrities. Both are growth industries.
posted by yerfatma at 09:29 AM on August 23, 2013
You cheated. You tarnished the game. You lied about it. In an MVP season, no less! There's nothing you can do in baseball to unring that bell.
Might I add that he was a total indignant douche along the way. Too much to hope for an apology for that?
To me this is just carefully crafted image repair.
posted by slowride at 01:35 PM on August 23, 2013
yerfatma, I couldn't get a position in either of those industries, so I went to law school. You also forgot bartending.
Otherwise, I agree with rcade. He'll never earn back trust or erase the fact that he cheated. He might earn a modicum of redemption if he has a long, clean, finish to his career, but it will be just that--a modicum. He'll always have the stink of cheating on him. The only question now is how many others share that stink.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:12 PM on August 23, 2013
I'm with slowride -- I expect juicers to lie about it, but he took a really bad Lance-esque path in his denial.
posted by Etrigan at 04:11 PM on August 23, 2013
He tarnished the name and career of the employee in charge of his tests, too. I could care less about Braun and this bullshit about earning back trust. Lying is one thing; taking down someone else with your lies is a bigger issue.
posted by dyams at 04:58 PM on August 23, 2013
Lying is one thing; taking down someone else with your lies is a bigger issue.
And Dino Laurenzi should be on the phone to his lawyer making arrangements to sue Braun for an amount that he won't have to worry about putting his, grandkids, and great grandkids through college, all expenses paid.
posted by NerfballPro at 09:49 AM on August 24, 2013
That's a nicely composed apology, but when he talks at the end about how hard he's going to work "to earn back people's trust and support" I don't want to hear it.
You cheated. You tarnished the game. You lied about it. In an MVP season, no less! There's nothing you can do in baseball to unring that bell.
I'd like to be outraged for the players Braun beat as MVP, but it will look foolish later when we find out they abused PEDs.