GameDay: Braun's Admission Won't Change PED Problem

KPIX 5 Sports Director Dennis O'Donnell hosts "Gameday" every Sunday night at 11:30pm on KPIX 5 and offers his unique sports analysis here.

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - So Ryan Braun finally copped to PED's. Ok, not really. His admission wasn't an admission at all, of course.

Lawyers draw up a statement and carefully avoid any mention of steroids. That's the way it's done so the "words" won't come back to bite the cheaters in the rear end. Bruan, naturally, is being vilified because of his vehement denial last year when he walked because of a technicality. (Memo to the tester: Don't store Bruan's pee in your home fridge) His lawyers smartly worked out a plea deal with MLB that won't extend to 150 games, thus saving him $4.5 million into next season.

So what does this mean in the bigger picture of drugs and bats? Whether it's Balco or Biogenesis, players continue to cheat because, well, then can. However, the wagons are circling the users and abusers and those that protect them.

MLB has gone from a union that refused to test players to a union walking into clubhouses with a test kit in hand. Can you imagine Barry Bonds trying to cop the same excuse today? Can you just see Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa spewing lies in front of lawmakers? Even the teammates are tired of the blatant cheaters and liars.

The cheaters aren't going away. In fact, get ready for another group of lawyers seeking plea deals. Not for the sake of admission. But for the sake of salvaging a contract.

See you on TV.

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