Results tagged ‘ Biogenesis ’
Biogenesis Owner Corroborates Braun’s Assertion
Bad news, h8rz.
In a recent New York Daily News article, it was reported that the former owner of the now-defunct Biogenesis Wellness Clinic, Anthony Bosch, “backed up” the assertion of Ryan Braun from earlier this year.
That assertion was that the reason Braun’s name appeared in records of the clinic was simply and only because Braun’s legal team reached out to Bosch for consultation while preparing their successful appeal — through arbitration — of a suspension.
In an interview reported by ESPN Monday night, Bosch is quoted as saying:
“I just answered a few questions from his legal team, not from Braun or any other ballplayer.”
Certainly sounds like everything lines up with what Ryan Braun had to say about it. You remember, that entirely plausible explanation that the Brewers All-Star gave? The one that people who already didn’t believe Braun just dismissed with a hand wave and “isn’t that just perfectly convenient” diatribes?
Yeah, this one here.
So can we all return to giving Ryan Braun the benefit of the doubt which the system in place is supposed to allow him? He won his appeal and his explanation of his presence in Biogenesis documentation lines up.
Or isn’t that enough for you?
Braun’s Name Written Down Again, EVERYBODY PANIC!
Following Ryan Braun’s statement today at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona as he reported to camp, one may have had cause to hope that we were at least somewhat moving past this whole Biogenesis thing.
Then, because timing is everything, ESPN’s Outside The Lines published a report claiming that they obtained another document with Ryan Braun’s name on it. Despite the document supposedly being written in Tony Bosch’s handwriting, and Tony Bosch himself being quoted in the report saying that the allegations against him are “bulls—” and “all wrong”, ESPN talked to a “source familiar with the documents” who sad that there’s “no other reason” to be on that list unless you received PEDs from Bosch because that list is, the “source familiar” said, a list for players who received PEDs from Bosch.
Oh, and the piece of paper lists a plus sign and “1500″ next to Ryan Braun’s name. That’s certainly convenient because of the earlier declarations that “RB 20-30 K” was too high to be an amount owed for PEDs. Now all of the sudden we have another piece of paper with a smaller amount written on it.
Martin Singer, an attorney who represents Braun, was quoted in the article with the following response to this new piece of paper and insinuation by ESPN:
“My client confirmed last week that there was an alleged claim for money owed to Mr. Bosch because he had been used as a consultant by my client’s attorneys in his successful appeal with MLB last year. Several witnesses can corroborate how Mr. Bosch requested over thousands of dollars for his consulting with my client’s attorneys last year. My client has no relationship with Tony Bosch, and the only relationship Mr. Bosch had was with my client’s attorneys as a consultant.”
Singer, the report states, said that if Braun’s name appears in the documents it is only because Bosch was trying to get whatever money he could from Braun from the consulting arrangement. “It is clear that this is all false,” Singer said.
The ESPN report then states that Singer “threatened legal action against ESPN if it aired or published this report.”
Nothing like a good old fashioned lack of actionable evidence to prompt an ESPN report about how Braun likely took PEDs.
To be fair, the article does implicitly state:
“The list is not definitive proof that Braun either received or used PEDs — either would be a suspendable offense under Major League Baseball policy — but may draw him more squarely into the spotlight as the league investigates the scandal and tries to draw the interest of law enforcement.”
But then goes on for roughly 1000 words to connect the dots for readers whether they’re there or not.
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Note: For what it’s worth, I don’t normally editorialize directly in posts where I relay the news items themselves, but at this point I wanted to.
Ron Roenicke Comments on Braun, Yahoo Sports’ Report
The media spent some time with Ron Roenicke at Maryvale Baseball Park today on the first full day of workouts of Spring Training. Among his comments, he addressed the Yahoo Sports report that exposed Ryan Braun’s name as being written among the records of Tony Bosch’s defunct Biogenesis clinic in Miami.
Here is the original full article where this quote is taken from, by Brewers.com beat writer Adam McCalvy: Roenicke: Braun story “shouldn’t be out there”
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Says Roenicke:
“It’s a pet peeve, I guess, of mine: Don’t bring up anybody’s name and put it in there if you’re questioning it,” Roenicke said. “If there’s something going on and there’s a
definite [transgression], fine, that’s your job to put it out there. But don’t bring up names that you’re not sure of and then retract it later, because it never is retracted from the fans or the people that are out there. Never. There are some people who will say, ‘OK, they shouldn’t have put it out there,’ but for the majority, it’s still there in their mind. So it shouldn’t be out there.
“That’s what I have an issue with. You want to bring up somebody’s name, then you’d better be sure when you’re bringing it up. It’s very unfair to the player, and that’s what I have an issue with. It’s not right.
“To be honest with you, I’m not really thinking about handling it or anything until there’s more information on what is there,” Roenicke said. “I can’t make comments on something I know nothing about. I talked to Ryan, he’s coming in and I know he’s going to have to deal with some press issues, but we’re just going to move on with it as if nothing’s there. …
“It was different last year. We knew what the specifics were last year,” Roenicke said. “I knew what to address, what I wasn’t supposed to talk about. I knew where he was on those issues. I don’t know anything [now]. Let’s see where we are. It may be nothing. If it’s just the thing with the lawyer and payments, then it’s nothing.”
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Personally, I’m in agreement with Roenicke on this. Braun was not listed with any apparent connection to any wrongdoing in the records, so there wasn’t reason to release his name. That goes the same for the other players who weren’t listed with any mention of banned substances, illegal drugs, or anything else. Just being written down on a piece of paper does not imply guilt nor should it be a decision-maker regarding innocence or guilt to anyone with journalistic integrity.
As I’ve said before on radio appearances, on Twitter, and other media, nothing that came out of Miami and Biogenesis should sway your opinion because it is explainable simply as a piece of information about what happened in Braun’s successful suspension appeal.
Listen to People Talk About the Ryan Braun Situation
Here are some local (read: Milwaukee) radio spots archived for your listening regarding Ryan Braun and the reports of his connection to the Biogenesis Clinic.
Yup, over 90 minutes of just interviews. This doesn’t include the hours of time spent by these show’s hosts discussing the situation on their own.
I’ll add more as they happen and feel free to pass one along if I don’t have it listed.
(Unless otherwise noted, these interviews all took place on Wednesday, February 6, 2012.)
From the Chuck & Wickett show on Sportsradio 1250 WSSP
Host of the longest running Brewers post-game show in the market, Tim Allen (12:20)
Brewers.com beat writer Adam McCalvy (12:40)
Co-author of the Yahoo! Sports Report, Jeff Passan, discusses his report (14:07)
From the statewide Bill Michaels Show (heard in the Milwaukee market on WSSP, hence the links)
Former lawyer Craig Calcaterra of NBC’s Hardball Talk joined Bill to discuss the report from a legal point of view (11:10)
Co-author of the Yahoo! Sports report, Tim Brown, discusses the same (7:33)
From ESPN Milwaukee (AM 540)
Jeff Passan continues making the rounds as he chats with “The D-List” (14:24)
Brewers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel Tom Haudricourt joins “The D-List” (13:52)
From The Big 1070/The Big 920 (AM 1070 Madison & AM 920 Milwaukee, respectively)
Andy Baggot from the Wisconsin State Journal talks to Lucas & Lepay (9:06)
Tom Pippines of FOX6 in Milwaukee weighs in with Lucas & Lepay on Friday, February 8th (8:51)
From The Big Show on Sportsradio 1250 WSSP
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale discusses the situation (6:44)
On the Brewers Flagship, AM 620 WTMJ
CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman talks to Greg Matzek (4:17)
Haudricourt with Matzek (4:42)
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And if you missed any of the written statements surrounding this situation:
Ryan Braun’s Lead Attorney On His Appeal, David Cornwell, Makes Statement to Yahoo Sports
This statement comes from the lead attorney of Ryan Braun’s legal team from his successful appeal of a year ago.
Please remind yourself that Cornwell’s name was not in the Biogenesis records.
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David Cornwell
“I was not familiar with Tony Bosch prior to Ryan Braun’s case.
“In the 15 years that I have represented players facing discipline under the various professional sports leagues’ substance abuse and steroid programs, I have relied primarily, if not exclusively, on Dr. David L. Black and his team of scientists at Aegis Sciences Corporation in Nashville, TN as my experts with respect to scientific and other matters relevant to the testing of player specimens.
“Bosch was introduced to me at the earliest stage of Ryan’s case. I found Bosch’s value to be negligible and, thereafter, I followed my prior practice of relying on Aegis in the preparation of Ryan’s winning defense.”
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The New York Daily News reports that “Bosch was not officially listed as an expert or consultant in the (appeal) case.”
That information coming from, as the Daily News worded it, “one source familiar with Braun’s appeal.”
This seems to support Cornwell’s statement that he found Bosch’s usefulness negligible. I wouldn’t list someone whose contribution I didn’t feel was substantial either. I also wouldn’t pay him a normal rate for his consultation which could lead to the discrepancy in “moneys owed” previously mentioned by Braun in his own statement.
Doug Melvin Issued Statement on Braun, Biogenesis
Earlier tonight, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin released the following statement:
“Like everyone else, we first learned of this report from the Yahoo! story this evening. At this point, we are not aware of any other details. We understand that Major League Baseball is going through a review process and to that end, we would defer any additional comment to its officials.”
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Not much there, but not much should have been expected. The club was not privy to Braun’s defense in his appeal and therefore wouldn’t have been aware that Braun’s legal team used Biogenesis operator Tony Bosch as a consultant in preparing Braun’s case.
Ryan Braun’s Statement About His Connection to Biogenesis
Ryan Braun has released the following statement in response to reports that his name appears in records of the Biogenesis clinic.
“During the course of preparing my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant. More specifically, he answered questions about T/E ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples.
“There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch’s work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under “moneys owed” and not on any other list.
“I have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with Bosch.
“I will fully cooperate with any inquiry into this matter.”
Yahoo Sports Report: Ryan Braun Linked to Biogenesis Clinic
A report by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reveals that Ryan Braun’s name (along with Francisco Cervelli and Danny Valencia) appears in the records of the Miami-based Biogenesis Clinic. This is the same clinic that has been in the news for several days and has players like Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera and others under investigation for the use of banned substances.
On MLB Network, Passan stated that there was nothing in the records that they obtained that specifically indicated that Ryan Braun took any kind of performance-enhancing drug.
MLB is investigating the clinic and whatever additional information they find (if any) will be reported at some point.
Here is the link to Passan’s article.
Again, as of now, no reference of Ryan Braun in the Biogenesis records specifically indicates that he took any banned substance. And that is why the original report by the Miami New Times wouldnt use Braun’s name — lack of evidence.
Other players listed in these records have denied association at all with the clinic or its operator Anthony Bosch.
MLB released a statement about the Passan article:
“We have an active investigation ongoing in Florida. Until that is completed, we can’t comment on any of the details or information that has surfaced.” – Pat Courtney – MLB Spokesman
I’ll have more reactionary words later, but wanted to get his information out there for your consumption.
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