On Thursday, an appeals court sided in favor of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun over Major League Baseball in the infamous case in which drug tests showed he used a banned substance during his NL MVP season in 2011. This was the first time that the appeals court sided with a player in any case involving performance enhancers.
Many Boston Red Sox players were asked their opinions about their fellow player. Those weighing in included first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz:
Gonzalez On Braun: "He won the battle, so it's a good thing," said Gonzalez.
Pedroia On Braun: "If he said he didn't do it, I believe he didn't do it," said the Red Sox second baseman, who first met Braun when the two were trying out for Team USA in college.
"He's a genuine, and whatever he says I believe. Every time I've talked to him and saw him he's been first-class to me and I respect the heck out of him. I'm glad he's not serving his suspension and they got it right."
"He's one of the faces of the game," Pedroia said. "Shoot, you don't want to see a guy like that have that under his name. I'm happy for him."
Buchholz On Braun: "I didn't know about it until this morning," Buchholz said. "I think it's good. He's one of the big faces in baseball, obviously with the MVP last year, and when it happened it was a shock to everybody because everybody only has good things to say about him. I'm glad for him that they discontinued that whole case and he's not going to be serving 50 and he'll be able to play.
"Obviously he's going to be faced with a lot of questions, but I think it's better to be faced with questions while you're playing and helping the team rather than being suspended for a third of the season. I think it's good. I'm glad for him."
Quotes courtesy of WEEI and ESPN Boston