News comes in late tonight that NL MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.  Although an appeal has already been filed, it’s still quite a devastating blow for all of those who believe baseball has not be cleansed of it’s PED use.  If Braun loses the appeal, he’ll be suspended for 50 games, and will lose approximately two million dollars out of the six million he’s scheduled to make.  I am always a believer that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but there’s one thing I read that makes me wonder if Braun is really innocent in all of this.  The following quote is released by Creative Artists Agency, the agency group that represents Braun:

“There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate that there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program.  While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident that he will ultimately be exonerated.”

What do they mean ‘…will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate that there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program’?  It doesn’t matter if you intentionally or unintentionally violated the program.  It has always been a player’s responsibility to be aware of what he’s putting in his body.  So if Braun accidentally cheated the system, I feel no remorse.  If it comes out that he did not violate the policies established by MLB, then I feel sorry that he’ll have to endure months and years of bad publicity.  Until more information becomes available, I don’t have any more thoughts than that.