It is not often that superstar athletes get humbled, but when they do, they really do. Brewers slugger Ryan Braun was suspended 65 games last season after it was discovered that he was connected to the infamous Biogenesis scandal. He was expected of cheating during the previous season when a positive drug test surfaced. Braun blamed the sample collector, Dino Laurenzi Jr., for not following collection protocol. Braun constantly bashed Laurenzi in the media and put all the fault on him. He even went as far as to say he was a fan of a rival team and that was his motive for tampering with his sample
MLB believed Braun and Laurenzi was a disgraced worker. When it was discovered that Braun did cheat and Laurenzi did nothing wrong, no one expected the egotistical Braun to issue an apology, let alone show up at his home. However, that is exactly what he did. Accompanied by his fiance, Braun knocked on Laurenzi’s door unexpectedly. The two had spoken on the phone previously, but they never scheduled a day to meet in person. When Braun showed up, he was welcomed into the Laurenzi home where he presumably explained and apologized to the man and his family for causing them emotional distress.
When asked about the encounter, Braun said, “I’m not going to get into too many details other than to say it was an incredible experience. It was extremely kind and gracious of them. They’re really special people and I appreciate them giving me the opportunity to go to their house and have a conversation in person. I wish that I could change it. I wish that I hadn’t said anything about him. I wish I knew more at the time I said what I said. But he was really a special person and his family was a special group of people.”
Hopefully this experience has taught Braun to take responsibility in life and not look to blame others. If he can keep working hard and stay away from banned substances, I think people can learn to forgive him. It will not be easy for a man making millions of dollars, but if he can check his ego, he can become a favorite again in Milwaukee and all over the league.
