Aaron Rodgers had so much faith in friend and fellow Wisconsin athlete Ryan Braun that he was willing to bet his entire salary the Brewers slugger was clean.
If Rodgers intends to follow through on the bet, that’s a few million dollars down the drain now.
Braun was suspended Monday for the rest of the MLB season , the first of many expected suspensions related to the Florida clinic Biogenesis, which is accused of providing performance-enhancing drugs to players.
The former NL MVP will be suspended without pay for the rest of the 2013 season, and afterward admitted his wrongdoing and accepted the suspension.
“As I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect,” Braun said in a statement. “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.”
Braun had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs after the after the 2011 season but it was overturned with it was found his urine sample wasn’t handled properly.
This time, Braun was commended by MLB for his willingness to accept blame.
“We commend Ryan Braun for taking responsibility for his past actions,” said Rob Manfred, MLB’s executive vice president of economics and league affairs. “We all agree that it is in the best interests of the game to resolve this matter. When Ryan returns, we look forward to him making positive contributions to Major League Baseball, both on and off the field.”
It might be even harder for Aaron Rodgers to take. A staunch Braun supporter, the Green Bay Packers quarterback had told a Twitter follower in February he was willing to risk a lot to prove Braun’s innocence.
@toddsutton ya I’d put my salary next year on it. #ponyup #exonerated
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 23, 2012
If Aaron Rodgers is inclined to follow-up on his Ryan Braun bet, that means giving up his $4.5 million base salary.