MILWAUKEE – Commissioner Bud Selig defended baseball’s fight against performance-enhancing drugs Wednesday, declining to discuss the recent suspension of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun or whether other stars also will face penalties.
Braun was suspended for the rest of the season Monday, a total of 65 games, for violating baseball’s anti-drug policy. He is the first player to be punished as part of an investigation of the now-closed Biogenesis Clinic, which is believed to have provided performance-enhancing drugs to as many as 20 other players; a list that is believed to include injured New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Selig, however, said he could not discuss the ongoing investigation.
“Any comment from me is inappropriate,” Selig said. “People have been thorough. I said last week the process would be comprehensive, thorough, fair, and we have spent thousands of hours doing these things. I appreciate all the players who have been complimentary of the process. We’re doing this in a very a disciplined, thorough, fair and sensitive matter.”
Selig said he was proud of baseball’s drug-testing program. Since the program was first implemented in 2004, 32 major league players have been suspended for using banned substances. Three were suspended a second time.
In addition, 47 minor league players or players formerly in the major leagues have been suspended, including six repeat offenders.
“It took a long time,” Selig said. “I said we would aggressively enforce that program. Obviously if you have a tough testing program, you have to do that. Given the whole history and what we’ve accomplished, having the first testing program in baseball history – baseball didn’t have a drug testing program at any time in the ’80s when, and I will say this very candidly, we had a very serious cocaine problem. There were the Pittsburgh drug trials, 29 players were convicted, four went to jail, and the union still wouldn’t agree to a program.
“So I’m proud of what we’ve done. We will continue to enforce the program.”
Selig, whose family owned the Brewers from 1970 until 2005, was at Miller Park to take part in a youth baseball program.
The Suspended
Some high-profile players have been suspended for violating Major League Baseball’s drug program in recent years. Besides Ryan Braun, a former National League Most Valuable Player; Manny Ramirez, a two-time World Series winner who has more than 500 career homers; Melky Cabrera, who was the MVP of the 2012 All-Star game; and Bartolo Colon, who was selected to last week’s All-Star game, also have been disciplined.
Here’s a list of the players who have been suspended for violations of the Major League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program since it was established in 2005:
2013
OF, Ryan Braun, Milwaukee, July 22, 65 games (season)
2012
P, Steven Shell, Jan. 24, 50 games
INF/OF, Daryle Ward, Jan. 25, 50 games
P, Dustin Richardson, Jan. 25, 50 games
P, Chaz Roe, Jan. 26, 50 games
OF, Jason Pridie, March 9, 50 games
P, Angel Guzman, April 20, 50 games
P, Guillermo Mota, San Francisco, May 7, 100 games
INF, Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia, June 19, 50 games
OF, Marlon Byrd, free agent, June 25, 50 games
OF, Melky Cabrera, San Francisco, Aug. 15, 50 games
P, Bartolo Colon, Oakland, Aug. 22, 50 games
C, Yasmani Grandal, San Diego, Nov. 7, 50 games
C, Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia, Nov. 27, 25 games
2011
P, Luis Vizcaino, June 29, 50 games
INF, Mike Jacobs, Aug. 18, 50 games
INF, Rhyne Hughes, Sept. 14, 50 games
C, Eliezer Alfonzo, Colorado, Sept. 14, 100 games
OF, Manny Ramirez, Tampa Bay, Dec. 9, 50 games
P, Ronald Belisario, L.A. Dodgers, Dec. 21, 25 games
2010
OF, Miguel Negron, Jan. 8, 50 games
P, Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati, April 21, 50 games
P, Adam Bostick, April 23, 50 games
C, Ronny Paulino, Aug. 20, 50 games
2009
P, Sergio Mitre, N.Y. Yankees, Jan. 6, 50 games
P, J.C. Romero, Philadelphia, Jan. 6, 50 games
P, Kelvin Pichardo, San Francisco, March 23, 50 games
OF, Manny Ramirez, L.A. Dodgers, May 7, 50 games
INF-OF, Pablo Ozuna, June 11, 50 games
SS, Travis Dawkins, Dec. 17, 50 games
2008
C, Eliezer Alfonzo, San Francisco, April 30, 50 games
C, Humberto Cota, Colorado, May 28, 50 games
P, Henry Owens, Florida, Nov. 11, 50 games
2007
P, Juan Salas, Tampa Bay, May 7, 50 games
INF, Neifi Perez, Detroit, July 6, 25 games
INF, Neifi Perez, Detroit, Aug. 3, 80 games
C, Ryan Jorgensen, Cincinnati, Sept. 7, 50 games
OF, Mike Cameron, free agent, Oct. 31, 25 games
P, Dan Serafini, free agent, Nov. 27, 50 games
OF, Jay Gibbons, Baltimore, Dec. 6, 15 days
OF, Jose Guillen, Kansas City, Dec. 6, 15 days
2006
P, Yusaku Iriki, N.Y. Mets, April 28, 50 games
P, Jason Grimsley, Arizona, June 12, 50 games
P, Guillermo Mota, free agent, Nov. 1, 50 games
2005
OF, Alex Sanchez, Tampa Bay, April 3, 10 days
OF, Jorge Piedra, OF, Colorado, April 11, 10 days
P, Agustin Montero, Texas, April 20, 10 days
OF, Jamal Strong, Seattle, April 26, 10 days
P, Juan Rincon, Minnesota, May 2, 10 days
P, Rafael Betancourt, Cleveland, July 8, 10 days
INF, Rafael Palmeiro, Baltimore, Aug. 1, 10 days
P, Ryan Franklin, Seattle, Aug. 2, 10 days
INF-OF, Mike Morse, Seattle, Sept. 7, 10 days
P, Carlos Almanzar, Texas, Oct. 4, 10 days
P, Felix Heredia, P, N.Y. Mets, Oct. 18, 10 days
OF, Matt Lawton, OF, free agent, Nov. 2, 10 days
Associated Press
