Aaron Rodgers Believes in Ryan Braun

Don’t count Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers among the folks who are casting a judgmental eye on NL MVP Ryan Braun.

Following the recent revelation that Braun tested positive for synthetic testosterone at some point during his award-winning 2011 season, many began calling for the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder to give back his trophy. Years of being lied to by professional baseball players have made fans and pundits wary of the excuses that generally accompany positive banned substances tests.

Nevertheless, despite the growing public scrutiny, Braun is maintaining his innocence. He promises to be ultimately vindicated, and the mildly unusual circumstances surrounding his particular case are admittedly different than they are in situations of this ilk.

Plus, he has a very popular ally. One of the most beloved people in Wisconsin, Rodgers, has come out and publicly pledged his support to Braun. During a recent stint on ESPN Radio 540, the Packers quarterback said that Braun is probably his “best athlete friend” and that he is “100 percent supporting him and…behind him and believing everything that he says."

Considering how quickly things can get ugly when you associate yourself with someone who has any sort of ties to banned substances, you have to give Rodgers credit for his courageousness.

"I just would say that I would 100 percent support Ryan and believe in him and it's not going to affect our friendship," Rodgers said. "… I am just trusting that my good friend has not been using anything that's illegal and I'm very confident that that is the case. I know how he cares about the integrity of the game and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that."



(opposingviews.com)