Braun just spoke to the media, he's answering questions now. Long statement, seemed very honest, and the way he laid out the facts it does sound like the process was botched. I'm changing my opinion, I think he's actually innocent, or a pathological liar. Actual innocence is more likely, so I'll stick with that.
What did he say caused the positive test?
Braun just spoke to the media, he's answering questions now. Long statement, seemed very honest, and the way he laid out the facts it does sound like the process was botched. I'm changing my opinion, I think he's actually innocent, or a pathological liar. Actual innocence is more likely, so I'll stick with that.
What did he say caused the positive test?
Selling a bridge. Interested?
What did he say caused the positive test?
The only reason he's not suspended is the chain of custody was in question, and they found the perfect arbitrator who bought that argument. I actually agree with the arbitrator, but I absolutely disagree with anyone who thinks Braun is clean.
Unsure. He said the collector also collected samples from other players at the same time. Instead of bringing them right to Fedex, he took them home and left them out for 44 hrs.
The way the process works, the collector is the only guy who knows whose sample belongs to who - they assign a number, and it goes to Fedex and the lab that way.
For me, that's enough to cast doubt. It also suggests the collector is also the guy that leaked the news, as he was one of the few that could match the sample to the name.
Braun just spoke to the media, he's answering questions now. Long statement, seemed very honest, and the way he laid out the facts it does sound like the process was botched. I'm changing my opinion, I think he's actually innocent, or a pathological liar. Actual innocence is more likely, so I'll stick with that.
The more I read, the more Braun's argument sounds full of sh!t.
The inspector did the tests on Saturday, didn't finish his rounds until it was too late to ship, and had to wait until Monday to ship it. Protocol since 2005 when these began was for the agent to store them at home in a safe place, which he did in his cool basement. He's done >600 tests since '05.
And all 3 "tamper proof seals" were completely in tact.
Conclusion: Seriously...this was thrown out?? LOL
I agree.. Braun got really lucky here.. I'll never see him the same way as before. There seems to be a disagreement on if there actually time left for the collector to ship the samples out same day based on Braun and the collector's statements. hmmm
quotes extracted:
"This situation has caused great emotional distress for me and my family. I have worked hard my entire life, have performed my job duties with integrity and professionalism, and have done so with respect to this matter and all other collections in which I have participated," Laurenzi said, directing all further requests for comment to his lawyer.
"Given the lateness of the hour that I completed my collections, there was no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday. Therefore, the earliest that the specimens could be shipped was Monday, October 3," Laurenzi said.
"In that circumstance, CDT has instructed collectors since I began in 2005 that they should safeguard the samples in their homes until FedEx is able to immediately ship the sample to the laboratory, rather than having the samples sit for one day or more at a local FedEx office," Laurenzi said in the statement.
Laurenzi said in the statement that he stored the samples in a "FedEx Clinic Pack in a Rubbermaid container in my office which is located in my basement. My basement office is sufficiently cool to store urine samples."
He added: "The protocol has been in place since 2005 when I started with CDT and there have been other occasions when I have had to store samples in my home for at least one day, all without incident."
Laurenzi said he has been a collector for Comprehensive Drug Testing since 2005, conducting more than 600 collections since then, in addition to postseason collections for five major league teams.
"I followed the same procedure in collecting Mr. Braun's sample as I did in the hundreds of other samples I collected under the program," Laurenzi said of his collection of Braun's urine samples on Oct. 1.
"I sealed the bottles containing Mr. Braun's A and B samples with specially numbered, tamper-resistant seals, and Mr. Braun signed a form certifying, among other things, that the specimens were capped and sealed in his presence and that the specimen identification numbers on the top of the form matched those on the seals."
Unsure. He said the collector also collected samples from other players at the same time. Instead of bringing them right to Fedex, he took them home and left them out for 44 hrs.
The way the process works, the collector is the only guy who knows whose sample belongs to who - they assign a number, and it goes to Fedex and the lab that way.
For me, that's enough to cast doubt. It also suggests the collector is also the guy that leaked the news, as he was one of the few that could match the sample to the name.
Furthermore, Munson reports that Braun offered his DNA to check whether the urine was actually his, but was refused, suggesting that there were further questions about the legitimacy of the sample.
It's not any different than a criminal trial getting thrown out because someone screwed up the chain of custody. If you are going to move forward in a case like this you have to have your ducks in a row because there so much on the line.He failed the drug test. He didn't even contest that he failed.
He contested the way the samples were handled. The samples were handled the way all of the previous samples taken during a week end were handled. Until he failed, neither he, nor anyone else in MLB had any problems with the process.
There is no allegation that his sample was tampered with...
He can say what ever he wants. The physical evidence is clear.
He cheated.
What is it they say in law school? If you can't contest the facts, contest the process.
Science says he cheated. His lawyer says that the process was flawed.
I know which one I believe.
Uno
What a bs conclusion imo, lol.
Two things at work here. If the process was screwed up, I agree that he shouldn't get a suspension and the rest.
However, as a fan, especially since he never tried to contest the positive result and refused the DNA verification, then I'm on the side that he probably took something. We'll see if he suddenly drops to 1/2 the HRs this season, gets more injury prone, drops his average 50 points or anything else like that. If he keeps the same or similar production for the next 5+ years, then I'm willing to allow that he's clean since from now on, I bet he gets more testing than usual.
Two things at work here. If the process was screwed up, I agree that he shouldn't get a suspension and the rest.
However, as a fan, especially since he never tried to contest the positive result and refused the DNA verification, then I'm on the side that he probably took something. We'll see if he suddenly drops to 1/2 the HRs this season, gets more injury prone, drops his average 50 points or anything else like that. If he keeps the same or similar production for the next 5+ years, then I'm willing to allow that he's clean since from now on, I bet he gets more testing than usual.
I still hinge my belief (I admit it is biased being a Brewer and Braun fan) on the fact the results were THREE TIMES higher than any other recorded positive result. You get a data point on a graph like that when doing experiments and you either throw it out as an anomaly or you retest to see if it was true. He was retested and it was negative.
He, and his counsel knows that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to prove innocence in taking any PEDs. Everyone knows this. So to get teh suspension lifted, as any good counsel would do, is to go to the "most sure route" which, in this case, is the failure to follow protocol. And it worked.
While Braun has been steadfast in claiming innocence in taking PEDs, obviously all you can do is take his word for it, or not. Because it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to prove you did not do something of this nature.
I still hinge my belief (I admit it is biased being a Brewer and Braun fan) on the fact the results were THREE TIMES higher than any other recorded positive result. You get a data point on a graph like that when doing experiments and you either throw it out as an anomaly or you retest to see if it was true. He was retested and it was negative.
1. Olympic athletes have tested as high as 100/1 in the past, Braun was 20/1.
2. He was retested almost THREE WEEKS after his first test. If he was able to pass 25 times before I'm sure three weeks is more than enough time to mask/cleanse any substances.
Got nothing against the guy and even now I wish he was a Phillie, but he deserves all the speculation against him he gets for winning his appeal on a non-tampering technicality AND throwing the urine collecter under the bus.