With Ryan Braun suspended for the balance of the baseball season, all eyes are on A-Rod.
And not just Alex Rodriguez. From the NFL’s perspective, folks will be interested in seeing whether Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has anything to say about the situation. After all, the Packers quarterback responded aggressively in 2012, when Braun avoided a 50-game suspension.
“MLB and cable sports tried to sully the reputation of an innocent man,” Rodgers tweeted at the time. “Picked the wrong guy to mess with. Truth will set u free #exonerated. When its guilty until proven innocent, all u need are the facts. #howsthecrowmlb #exonerated. . . All u idiots talking about technicality open up for some crow too. See if Espn gets pressured not to . . . let the people hear the truth. Should get interesting. #exonerated #shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
“He told me the truth and I believed him and I felt like there were some media outlets that immediately jumped on a story like that,” Rodgers later explained in an interview with ESPN. “And the ramifications that can happen in this business when it’s a guilty until proven innocent system are far reaching. And it’s not just personal and reputation stuff, it’s dollars through endorsements.”
Now, Braun has told the world a different kind of truth: “I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions.”
Rodgers, who has a reputation for being a bit on the sensitive side, could react angrily to the fact that he went to bat (no pun intended) for a guy who told him something other than the truth. If he does, however, Rodgers will be criticized by some for being disloyal.
But not by us. Braun took advantage of his friendship with Rodgers, and Rodgers ended up looking bad for it. He has every right to end the friendship, and to call Braun out.