In the wake of the suspension of Brewers LF Ryan Braun, it is a "delicate balance for the Brewers, distancing themselves from the actions of their disgraced star while employing him," according to Tyler Kepner of the N.Y. TIMES. Braun's "exposure as a serial liar was so surprising" to team Owner Mark Attanasio that he "cannot say much for certain about his star anymore." Attanasio: “Part of the reason the outcry is so great is that when so many people around the country doubted Ryan’s story, the Milwaukee community stood behind him. The people who showed the most trust feel the most betrayed.” He added, "If you’re going to redeem yourself, there’s got to be something to redeem. I think there is something to redeem there. Ryan will show us, over a period of time, whether this entire episode was out of character or in character.” Kepner wrote trading Braun "seems impractical," but when asked about Braun's status, Attanasio "offered no guarantees." Attanasio: "I am a person who believes in forgiveness, but I also believe in accountability. We don’t have to make a decision at this point as to the future. We have eight months before next season. Now isn’t the time to think about all of that, because we’re not going to try to draw attention away from his need to redeem himself. We’ll see how he does, and we’ll measure it from there.” He added, "It's been a year and a half of not telling the truth. We need to see longer-term exemplary behavior. How much time does it take? I don’t know. The community will know when we’ve crossed that threshold and things will be OK again. Will things ever be the same? I don’t know. Let’s get things to OK" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/4).
CUTTING TIES: Nike on Friday said that the company "no longer has a relationship with Braun." ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted Braun had been wearing Nike shoes and batting gloves "for his entire seven-year major league career, and the company recently began selling 'Big Bat Like Braun' and 'Braun Owns Milwaukee' T-shirts in stores." Braun now has lost "nearly all of his endorsement deals" in the two years since he became connected to PEDs (ESPN.com, 8/2).
