Forgive Ryan Braun? Why Should We?

By - Jaquan Murphy

A month after being suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season, Ryan Braun finally released a statement this week apologizing for his use of performance enhancing drugs.

The former NL MVP admitted that he "made mistakes" in the past, and said he was "in denial" when claiming innocence over his 2011 positive test.

Photo by: Getty Images

Braun's teammates are backing him, at least publicly.

"I thought it was a good first step on the road to redemption," catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.

But no matter what any of the players are saying, they are only doing what a good teammate is supposed to do in a time of despair; support their fellow teammate. No Milwaukee Brewer is going to openly bash Braun in the media, especially now. In fact, management probably told the entire team not to make any negative statements just as a measure to avoid making their clubhouse any more of a circus than it already is.

As far as Braun's apology goes, what does it really mean in the overall grand scheme of things?

In my opinion, very little.

Just look at all the damage his actions caused. For starters, it's not like the Brewers are better without Braun in the lineup. Not to mention the fact that Major League Baseball's image took yet another hit over the course of this sorry saga. What does his apology mean to the pitchers he burned while on PEDs? Even better, what does it mean to Matt Kemp, who was the runner-up to Braun in the 2011 MVP voting?

And look at the ramifications off the diamond. What does the equivalent of an "awwww man, you caught me" mean to Dino Laurenzi Jr., the urine collector who was repeatedly attacked for mishandling the initial positive sample from Braun? What about all the little kids who look up to him? This "I made mistakes" stuff in nothing more than the typical protocol expected from someone who has been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

Also, the fact that the apology was in the form of a written statement rather than a press conference makes it come off as insincere. He had no problem calling a press conference last year to deny any wrong doing, but he couldn't call one to own up to his mistakes?

If you ask me, it seems like defiance in apology form.

Should Ryan Braun be forgiven? Absolutely not. If he were truly sorry, it wouldn't have taken him a month to address the matter. If he genuinely felt remorse, we would have seen it in his eyes as he apologized to our faces like a man, rather than having some publicist mail it in for him.

This guy tried with everything he had to beat the system, and didn't give a damn who he had to hurt along the way to do it. He should face relentless scrutiny the rest of his career as a result. It should linger and haunt him the remainder of his baseball life. Braun should be forced to regret his actions every single solitary day until he finally decides to hang up his cleats.

Him and every other player that gets caught using PEDs for an edge.