Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has no plans to release Ryan Braun, according to the Associated Press.
After speaking publicly on the subject Monday when Braun was officially suspended for the rest of the season, he spoke to reporters on Wednesday before the Brewers played 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.”
The Brewers’ owner talked with Braun prior to speaking with reporters Wednesday. He does not know the specific details of the case since Braun is not allowed to discuss them during an ongoing investigation.
Attanasio said although he is not pleased with Braun’s actions he wants to help in the rebuilding process.
"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."
Attanasio was asked how Braun could fix his image after deceiving fans for a year and a half. The owned replied there was “no road map for him to follow.”
"This is a unique circumstance here," said Attanasio. "I told Ryan that this is going to take time. No matter how open, honest, truthful, sincere he is in the next press conference, that is one step in what is going to be (many). It is going to take time. Everyone will know when, if he gets over that threshold, that he has gotten over it, because the community will be in a position that they can embrace him again."
While Attanasio is supporting Braun, he does understand the disappointment of fans. He also knows Braun will have a long way to go.
"This community trusted Ryan," he said. "So I understand how this community is reacting as negatively as it is, because it was so trusting and it's had its trust betrayed."
Attanasio, like many fans and baseball lovers, hopes Braun will talk about the subject once the MLB has concluded its investigation.
"I think he has to get to the point where he can actually speak about this," he projected. "Major League Baseball is in the midst of an ongoing investigation. He is obviously now cooperating with baseball. He is cooperating in such a way that he is going to let them conclude or get further into the investigation before he talks."
