MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is committed to keeping Ryan Braun on the team and knows the suspended slugger has a lot of work to do to repair his image.
The Brewers' owner made his first public comments Wednesday since issuing a statement Monday when Braun was suspended for the rest of the 2013 season for violations of Major League Baseball's drug policy.
Attanasio met with Braun in Milwaukee on Wednesday and then spoke to reporters during the Brewers' game against the San Diego Padres.
"Right now, the full expectation is to keep him, and the full expectation is that he is going to do the right things, he is going to say the right things, and he is going to put in a lot of hard work to get back into folks' good graces," Attanasio said.
"That is going to take some time. It's not like we are going to be at opening day next year and we're going to be through this."
Attanasio is not yet aware of all the details of the case, saying Braun could not provide additional details due to the ongoing investigation.
But Attanasio reiterated that he was disappointed by Braun's actions and said he told Braun he wanted to be involved in helping him overcome the damage done by his suspension.
"I've told Ryan that I would like to take a more active role in talking to him going forward and he is very accepting of that," Attanasio said. "He wants to do the right thing at this point going forward. This was a first step, by coming forward and agreeing to a penalty and being the first player to do that. That is a first step, and it is a baby step, but it is a step in the right direction."
