Just a thought, but has any of the other suspended players sat down for an interview? I have only heard of some issuing statements. If not, it may be a sign that MLB is still controlling what the players can say and how they can say it until after the A-Rod saga has ended. If Braun did sit down for an interview, he might be asked a question about something MLB doesn't want him answering quite yet. I guess it's possible--but I think Braun's case is done, and he should be free to discuss his own case and rightly deflect anything that would impact another player's case. I don't think any others have faced live questions, though Braun's case is pretty unique in that he has been very public in his defense. Trenni's tweet, cited earlier on here tonight was right on the mark. He should be as public in his admission. The most unique thing about Braun's case, as compared to the other suspended players, and any other athlete that I know of for that matter, is that it leaked out that he had a positive drug test. From there on, he was FORCED to either make a public defense or throw in the towel and give up his appeal. And, when he won his appeal, he had to be adamant that he never used PEDs or people would have interpreted it as admitting that he was caught and won his appeal only on a technicality. If you don't believe me, go back and look and some message board threads that began as soon as ESPN reported the positive test. the masses certainly didn't need to wait to hear any facts before proclaiming Braun a cheater and a liar. Take away that leak, and Braun's case would be a lot more like the other suspended players, the main difference being that he's a bigger name. Nobody seems to be so outraged (in fact most people probably don't know) that Melky Cabrera tried to appeal his positive test by creating a phony website to support a claim that he didn't know what he was taking. And I don't hear the lynch mob out after Jhonny Peralta, who said publicly that he never took PEDs and that anyone who said otherwise was lying. I haven't seen any of them holding press conferences to explain their behavior. I completely agree with the posters who say that those wanting more of an apology from Braun will never be satisfied, and that they are looking for reasons to justify their outrage. If Braun had made a public statement, they would have blasted him for looking insincere. Maybe Braun and his camp are learning a lesson from the Tiger Woods episode. For how many weeks was Woods the target of public scorn and ridicule, and his public statement of apology didn't help him. It just gave the news outlets more film footage to mock him with. But, you know what, after he went through the grinder of playing in his first tournaments the frenzy died off. It's not because people forgive and forget, it's that they get bored and move on to something else. How Braun is perceived 1, 2, and 10 years from now is going to be shaped by what he does on and off the field from this day forward, not whether he made his apology in writing or in person.
