Baseball was rocked Saturday by an ESPN report that reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.A spokesman for Braun confirmed that the Brewers star tested positive for PEDs, but said that there are “unusual circumstances” surrounding the case.A subsequent test, according to the report, showed that the testosterone was synthetic -- a violation.
Following their initial discovery, Major League Baseball asked the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal to perform a secondary test. That analysis indicated that the Brewers outfielder's testosterone spike came from outside his body.
Major League Baseball has not announced the news because Braun is disputing the result through arbitration, the report says.
It's no secret the black eye the MLB has sustained due to the whole "steroid-era" of the game. However, certain players have remained as beacons of hope within the league.
Per the report, Braun was notified of the positive test about a month before he was named the National League's most valuable player.
Creative Artists Agency, which represents Braun, released a statement indicating the positive test is being vehemently disputed:
Since a grievance has apparently been filed on Braun’s behalf, the case has been forwarded to an arbitration panel. The panel is not allowed to reduce a suspension and can only rule on the accuracy and fairness of the process.
Braun turned 28 on Nov. 17 and five days later was named the NL MVP. Now, though, he's looking at a 50-game suspension to open the 2012 season, and, of course, all sorts of questions about what role steroids have played in his success.
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