NL MVP Ryan Braun suspended following drug probe

Former U.S. National League MVP Ryan Braun was suspended without pay for the rest of the season and the postseason Monday. This is the first penalty of baseball’s investigation of players reportedly tied to a South Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs, media reports said Tuesday. The face of the Brewers franchise, Braun was the most valuable player in the National League in 2011, the season of his disputed urine sample. Braun accepted the penalty.“I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions,” he said in a statement. The scandal will bring Braun considerable loss by missing the Milwaukee Brewers' final 65 games without pay, amounting to about 3 million dollars of his 8.5 million salary. In an on-line poll conducted by USA Today asking "Do you think Ryan Braun's 2011 MVP should be taken away?" 82 percent people voted "Yes, take it away". Braun is the first player suspended in the wake of baseball's biogenesis investigation, though the MLB release did not mention that. As many as 20 players, including Rangers Nelson Cruz, may be suspended for their ties to the South Florida clinic. Many promising high school players have expressed their different views concerning the latest baseball's crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs. Jack Flaherty of Studio City Harvard-Westlake, California said, "Obviously it's disappointing someone like Ryan Braun did abuse the drug policy, because there's so many who did it the right way. " Austin Dudley, a catcher at Granada Hills, California said, "I'm happy he's taking his punishment. It shows they're not afraid to go after anyone no matter who it is." The union head Michael Weiner said in a statement: “I am deeply gratified to see Ryan taking this bold step. It vindicates the rights of all players under the joint drug program. It is good for the game that Ryan will return soon to continue his great work both on and off the field.” From: XINHUA