Shortly after Ryan Braun was hit with a 65-game suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis clinic late last month, there were a lot of MLB players out there who were really, really upset with him. And now, we might know why.
According to a new ESPN report, Braun reportedly contacted a number of MLB players back in early 2012 when he was appealing a 50-game suspension that was given to him by MLB after he tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs. He told those players that he had some information on Dino Laurenzi Jr., the guy who collected urine from him that resulted in a positive test. That information included:
- That Laurenzi is a Cubs fan, thus making him a likely candidate to try and get Braun to test positive for PEDs
- That Laurenzi mishandled Braun's urine sample
- That Laurenzi is an anti-Semite
Yes, Braun, who is Jewish, reportedly tried to get the support of other MLB players by telling them that his urine sample collector was an anti-Semite. Several sources close to Laurenzi spoke to ESPN and shot down that suggestion.
So what in the world was Braun trying to accomplish by reportedly doing this? We're not sure. ESPN reached out to him, but he refused to comment. He is expected to talk about his recent 65-game suspension soon, though. So stay tuned to see what he has to say.
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[via ESPN]
