Ryan Braun Maintains His Innocence Among Steroid Allegations

Ryan Braun said he hasn’t used steroids, despite his connection to a Major League Baseball investigation into a South Florida clinic accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to players.

Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers star and onetime league MVP, is one of about 20 players implicated in the investigation into Biogenesis of America, a Miami-area clinic. League officials are seeking 100-game suspensions for the players involved, both for their connection to the clinic and for lying to MLB officials about doping, ESPN reported.

The clinic’s founder, Anthony Bosch, has reportedly been working with MLB investigators to authenticate records of players who purchased performance-enhancing drugs. In exchange MLB officials have reportedly agreed to drop a lawsuit against Bosch.

Braun, one of those implicated, also failed a drug test in 2011 but saw his suspension overturned by an arbitrator. He said his only connection to Bosch is through his lawyers, who used the clinic founder as a consultant during the appeal.

“I’ve already addressed everything related to the Miami situation. I addressed it in spring training. I will not make any further statements about it,” Braun said when asked about the scandal. “The truth has not changed.” he said.

Alex Rodriguez is one of the other big-name players connected to the steroid investigation. The accusations against A-Rod could include paying off Biogenesis to keep his name from being released in the investigation, though MLB investigators said there has never been any physical evidence tying him to payments.

The PED scandal could also run much deeper than MLB alone. From the Miami New Times, which broke the story: “Then check out the main column, where their real names flash like an all-star roster of professional athletes with Miami ties: San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, Oakland A’s hurler Bartolo Colón, pro tennis player Wayne Odesnik, budding Cuban superstar boxer Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Texas Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. There’s even the New York Yankees’ $275 million man himself, Alex Rodriguez, who has sworn he stopped juicing a decade ago.”

Ryan Braun added that the speculation isn’t hurting his play on the field, adding, “I’m pretty good at avoiding distractions.”