When you wait two days before opening your mouth it can be the smart thing to do. It keeps you from sometimes being too reactionary. As Ryan Braun has accepted without appeal a full season suspension from Major League Baseball for violation of the joint drug agreement a lot of reactions have been flying in the public sphere. Many of them are a bit ridiculous. Time to sift a bit through it and to offer a few of my own thoughts:
What is absolutely ridiculous is how everyone is acting totally betrayed and disillusioned, as if they were on Braun's side the whole time. I don't know how many sports casters gave the "I believed him" or "I gave him the benefit of the doubt" speech to gear up for some personal Braun bashing as if each one was personally hurt by this event. Ok now, come on. Especially outside Milwaukee and Brewers fans, the vast majority of fans had considered Braun dirty since news first leaked of a PED suspension. And the reason most fans did, because most reporters did. Almost all reports not only wrote endless articles about him using (and really a vast majority of them assuming he did), questioning if his MVP should be taken away, and then immediately casting doubt on his entire defense. As a Brewer fan very much caught up in this, I know this because I read most of those articles and very few used the words exonerated (at least after the first 6 hours of the news first breaking that he successfully appealed), most used the phrase "technicality" in more than quotes, and this last year they constantly reported how he was MLB public enemy #1, was going to get suspended, and very doubtful of Braun's defense even after Tony Boesch had originally corroborated it. The bottom line is most writers wrote about how he was dirty, speculated that he was dirty, did not buy into his defense, and ran him through the mud long before he ever finally accepted this suspension. So let's be honest, most people don't get to claim how betrayed and disillusioned they are as if they all spoke up for Braun like Aaron Rodgers or they all were writing MLB conspiracy theories. Most fans outside Milwaukee booed him after that first report, players around the league had been anonymously quoted that they wanted him suspended for some time, and reporters have treated him as guilty until proven innocent from day one.
Next, we need to sort out Matt Kemp's statements. Kemp is quoted as saying he thinks Braun should be stripped of the MVP award. But he also is quoted saying he does not want the MVP given to him. It's kind of a confusing statement. Does it imply that there should simply be no winner of the 2011 NL MVP? Should we strip A-Rod of his award too since we know he used PED's in a season when he won the MVP? This is always the problem with such ideas, how do you draw a clear line? It has tainted the Hall of Fame process and to the BWAA's credit (something regular readers know I'm not quick to give) they have adamantly remained firm that Braun will not be stripped of the honor. Looking at the articles though I would put more stock into Kemp's words that he doesn't want the MVP than he wants Braun stripped. The actual quote sounds like it came from a pretty leading question, and Kemp had said way back in 2011 when news first broke that he did not want the award defaulted to him. So I'm gonna take him on his word. More likely the other quote just comes out of the natural feeling of how one reacts when they realize the odds were not even.
This brings me to who gets to be really pissed: Matt Kemp, the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks, players Braun beat out for an All Star spot, teammates and friends and Brewers front office folks who stood up for Braun or believed what he told them. Braun's statements to the public have always been somewhat vague and definitely lacking in information and clarity, but you always got the impression that to those close he told more or something firmer, and he told them to their face, he told them with no cameras or public image looming. If he lied to them outright (as many reports suggest), that's the people who get to be really mad. Brewers fans also get to only because they were in general far more loyal (although many had also doubted Braun from day one). But it is those who are personally affronted where I think the true right to express all this disillusionment comes. This especially is the case because since releasing the statement Braun has disappeared leaving these folks to answer for him.
There is one name on my list that is notably missing. Dino Laurenzi the tester who became the target of Braun's appeal and his defense to the world of his innocence. His name is usually the first most people lift up as wronged and among the apologies people call for, his name comes up first. But I am leaving it out for several reasons: the first is that if memory serves correctly, Braun did not bring Laurenzi's name into any of this. It was actually someone from Laurenzi's camp or the company he worked for that in speaking out against Braun's public defense revealed who he was. Braun's statement I thought never actually named Laurenzi, it really is not Braun who put him specifically into the limelight and dragged him through the mud. Braun put the tester through the mud, Braun challenged the work of the "tester" but if I'm correct (it has been a year and a half so forget this if I'm wrong) he's not the one who gave the tester a name. No one would have put Laurenzi through anything or thought anything of him had someone else not connected the dots. Braun did insinuate that there were things about Laurenzi's character or intent that were in question, truth be told that may still be true (but how can we believe it and does it matter?), remember other players (I believe Chris Narveson was one of them) verbally shared sentiment of issues with the testers. But he didn't throw Laurenzi under the bus in quite the way many folks seem to paint it. Also, we should remember that Braun successfully appealed his suspension off of Laurenzi's handling. No matter who says it would not affect/tamper with the sample, the proper procedure laid out by MLB's policy was not followed, since that was the defense Braun had to put Laurenzi out there. In that sense Laurenzi put himself into that situation, and people who wanted to know Braun's defense should not then be clamoring for Braun to apologize for telling them. It was after all, a legitimate defense (although as the media was quick to point out, not proof of innocence). I understand how with the media attention once Laurenzi was found how it would have played bad for him, I realize that when you are challenged it is personal and hurts. But Braun's use of it was not personal, and he really did not use it as a personal attack even if it came out that way.
This gets me now to what I would like to see going forward. An apology to Laurenzi isn't necessarily one of them, or at least not quite the way most people think it needs to be. Braun does not need to apologize for Laurenzi's name being brought into it or using him in his defense. At most it would be his insistence on the tainting of the sample after he gave it that needs to be apologized for. That is the place where he changed the blame. Giving an account of his defense is ok, swearing (on his life) to have not taken it and insisting it had to have come afterwards is not. But this also comes to another issue, to know more about who needs apologies we need to know more about what all happened. Braun has used the same tactic Jason Giambi used years ago when he basically did not outright say what he did but only admitted to making a mistake (as opposed to say Andy Pettite who came out and said it was HGH and explained when and why). Braun needs to say the words. He needs to say what exactly he violated and when. He needs to spill every instance too. It can not be like A-Rod who seemed to have come clean only for us to now learn that he had been doping long after he claimed to have stopped. Braun needs to say what years he used, what he used, why exactly he was suspended. He needs to say the words because until he is clear about it, he is simply "guilty", his whole career (with its accomplishments) is in doubt, and he is simply the liar. He needs to now give truth. Better late than never. This is where sports writers are right when they say he needs to get in front of this. The complete honesty will also make clear who all needs apologies and what apologies they need. But until people hear genuine apologies and some open honesty this just does not bode well.
Braun has twice made the mistake of thinking this is "behind him". When he successfully appealed he made a statement once and then always said it was behind him, never giving the further information people felt they needed to believe him. In his most recent statement released to the press again it was how glad he was to put it behind him. Does he honestly think that? Taking a suspension and vaguely admitting guilt (more admission by omission of appeal than by saying "mistakes") hardly clears this up or puts it in the past. It's hard not to notice how ideal this suspension was for Braun: allowing him to take it immediately when he's battling injuries, allowing him to take it now to reduce the amount of money lost (since his salary goes way up next season and suspensions are unpaid), allowing him to sit out during the Brewer's abysmal 2013 and be able to play with them next spring when they have a chance at contention again. Not too mention both the union and MLB all of the sudden commending Braun and talking about the bold step he made. This looks really good for Braun. Which just makes his vagueness and insistence that it is over look worse and be utterly naive. it rings of Braun refusing to talk about what needs to be talked about if he wants to move on.
Next I hope Braun comes next year like a rookie. Keeping his mouth shut, not being a leader (since he has little cred with the team), and simply playing at a level that demands respect. He is no longer the face of the franchise, certainly not in the near future maybe never again. He needs to come to the park with that in mind. He needs to sound like a typical ballplayer at interviews saying want people expect him to say, not mouthing off like a frustrated Barry Bonds or talking in uninformative phrases that sound like they were taught to him by his lawyers. It should sound more like his agent is coaching him ("I just care that we won" "Ya know we all made a good effort") than his lawyer is coaching him ("I have nothing new to say" "I already made a statement and nothing's changed").
Finally, Braun needs to make bold steps to win the public trust. Most people don't bear forgiveness easy for public figures. Fellow players are all sick of him if you believe the reports. I propose Braun go above and beyond the expectation. He needs to do what no one would think he'd be willing to do and that's put the money he got in a franchise record contract out there. Now it's his money, and no one can take it away. Braun is going to get over 100 million as a Brewer. And that is part of what is really bothering people, that he won that money possibly off of pumped numbers. Therefore, to speak from that will speak the loudest.
Here is what I propose: first is Braun gets a lot more liberal in his charity. That is, he needs to be willing to give money away to good causes, more than people would expect of a ball player. But next he should take a bold step in the future of major league baseball. He needs to voluntarily have his contract reworked. He should make some of the money he had guaranteed turned into a more incentive based deal - to show he is confident in his ability to still play at an elite level. Now I'm not thinking too unrealistically, that is we're not talking some 50% cut into incentives. But if the last 15-20% was no longer guaranteed money, that would be a sign in his ability to keep playing elite baseball and a genuine gesture to fans and the Brewer's franchise that he is sorry and that they should not feel they were misled in the contract he has. Of the roughly 120 Million he still has guaranteed put 20-25 million on the line. It's not like he won't be making money still, but it would mean a lot to the team.
But here is the really bold thing he can do. While that will help amend things with fans and franchise, this is the move that would help turn his image in the history of baseball. Braun willingly and groundbreakingly works a steroid clause into his contract. Some months ago I proposed that if teams could void money it would deter big name players from using drugs. At the time I suggested voiding the contract altogether, particularly in light of guys like Alex Rodriguez who are in albatross of a contract past their prime where teams would happily void their contract and the guaranteed overpay if they could. Let me take it a step further. Braun should work a clause that if he suffers another suspension for violating the joint drug agreement - along with the money lost during the time of the suspension the Brewers have the right to A) decrease his remaining salary by 40% or B) void Braun's contract altogether. Money talks, and more than suspensions losing significant amounts of money will deter players. Braun by willingly taking on such a clause would set a precedent for future free agent mega-deals (similar to how the face of free agent negotiations changed with the start of no-trade clauses and incentive laden deals). Such a step by Braun would be worth the commending of the league, it would be the "bold step" the players union rep spoke of, it would start a trend that would hopefully help decrease the use of PED's in the game.
How would this change the course of media reactions and Braun's image? Does it seem the right thing to do to you? Now do I think Braun will do it? No (would you put millions on the line to reshape your public image?), but he should.
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