Conclusive news on whether Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will sweat out an MLB-imposed suspension due to an investigation into a Florida anti-aging clinic could be several months away.
At a meeting today with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Michael Weiner, director of the MLB player’s union, told reporters that he and other union officials would push to keep suspensions secret until arbitration hearings have concluded, as permitted under a 2002 agreement between the league and union. Weiner said any suspended players would attempt to defend themselves through arbitration, with hearings starting this fall, or possibly later, effectively delaying any announcements into the next season, according to the Associated Press.
To keep news of the suspensions from getting out, the union would have to contend that the information used as justification for the discipline has not yet been made public. This portion of the agreement was designed to protect the reputations of players who succeed at exonerating their names, though some of that damage has already occurred, following investigative coverage in the The Miami New Times related to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida. The stories could prove problematic for the union and for Braun, whom MLB officials have attempted to question.
(photo via Shutterstock)
