Brewers' Ryan Braun, former MVP, suspended for doping

GlobalPost
The World

After declaring his innocence for a year, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun came clean Monday and accepted a suspension for the rest of the 2013 season over doping charges.

His suspension without pay is effective immediately and includes the postseason, according to Major League Baseball.

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''I am not perfect," said Braun, one of the league's biggest stars and the 2011 MVP, in a statement. "I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept the consequences of those actions."

He is the first MLB player suspended in the wake of an investigation into players reportedly tied to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

Braun, injured Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and more than a dozen other players were targeted following a January report by the Miami New Times about Biogenesis of America, the now-closed anti-aging clinic.

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Braun's former high school baseball coach expressed disappointment at the news, but was glad to see him own up to the charges.

"Acknowledging he did something wrong is a good thing," Steve Thompson told the Los Angeles Times. "He's hurt his image and now he's going to have to repair it."

A five-time All-Star who won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, Braun is in the middle of a contract that runs through 2020 and was set to earn $8.5 million this season.

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