Ryan Braun exonerated!

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/140213003.html

Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun became the first major-league player to have a positive drug test overturned when he was informed Thursday that an arbitration panel ruled in his favor on appeal and decided against a 50-game suspension for the reigning National League most valuable player.

Someone familiar with the decision said the appeal went Braun's way not so much on contesting the result of the test but the testing process itself. And it was arbitrator Shyam Das who decided to rule in favor on that technicality, making it a 2-1 decision by the three-man panel.

Whatever the reason, the ruling was a tremendous boost for both Braun, whose reputation was at stake, and the Brewers, already missing free agent Prince Fielder from their 2011 NL Central championship club. Instead of having to figure out a way to replace Braun for the first 50 games of the season, the team can move forward with its original plans.

Though the drug testing process is supposed to be confidential, because of leaks of the positive test and hearing, the Major League Baseball Players Association released a statement that Braun won his appeal. The union confirmed it was a 2-1 vote.