On January 21 of 2012, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun accepted the National League Most Valuable Player award at a black-tie dinner in New York. But there was a hitch: A month earlier, ESPN had reported that Braun tested positive for having five times more testosterone in his system than allowable by Major League Baseball rules.
Braun vehemently denied he had used any performance-enhancing drugs. At spring training, he held a press conference in which he said, “I truly believe in my heart and I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body at any point.” As part of his strategy to prove his innocence, Braun smeared the name of the urine test collector, accusing him both of being an antisemite (Braun is Jewish) and, heaven forfend, a Cubs fan.
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