Ryan Braun's suspension from MLB for his connection to the Biogenesis scandal and performance enhancing drugs not only affected the embattled Milwaukee Brewers outfielder on the field, but also off of the diamond. A lot of people have lost trust in him and many brands have ended their affiliation with him due to his sullied reputation.
One such brand to drop its affiliation with Braun was SURG Restaurant Group, which had a partnership with Braun and fellow Wisconsin athlete and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a restaurant called 8-Twelve Bar & Grill, but ended its relationship with Braun following the news of his 65-game suspension. SURG still maintains its partnership with Rodgers, but has renamed the restaurant to 'Hom'
Despite the fact that the group dropped out of any ties with Braun, SURG restaurant owner Omar Shaikh broke his silence on the matter and told 620 WTMJ Wisconsin Radio that he remains friends with Braun.
"I think it's important to say that I'm still friends with Ryan," Shaikh told the radio station Monday. "I think that I have definitely forgiven him, and I think that is the first step in the healing process. He is working hard to get my trust back and gaining a lot of people's trust back in this community. I don't forget all the good things he has done for this community."
A video of Shaikh talking about the Braun situation can be viewed here.
Braun has been doing all that he can to try and save some face and own up for what he's done. Braun has publicly apologized to his teammates, to other baseball players and to the fans, and has even called up Brewers season ticket holders to share his sorrow and grief over the choices that he made that led to his suspension, something which Shaikh told the radio station he and Braun speak often about.
"We've talked quite a bit about it. He was feeling down at first of course," Shaikh told them. "I think he is feeling a little better as he has started to call a lot of people, and talk to a lot people. It's been tough for him as well. He made a big mistake and I think he realizes that and he is owning up to it now. So I think things are getting better for him, but he is getting hungry to prove that he is going to do the right things for this community."
While their partnership with Braun has fallen by the wayside, Shaikh insists his relationship with Rodgers is "stronger than ever."
"It's just an honor to be involved with Aaron. He is such a great guy," Shaikh told the station. "He is just inspirational with the work that he does with things like the MACC fund, for this community."
Braun will be eligible to return to baseball at the start of the 2014 season, but it will take a while for him to gain the trust of fans and players again after he vehemently denied taking any PEDs and even attacked the character of a man who collected his urine sample and said he tested positive for PEDs back in 2011.
Braun got off on a technicality, but eventually the truth caught up to him this past summer.
Before his suspension, Braun was hitting .298 with nine homers and 38 RBIs through 61 games. It's been a lost year for Milwaukee, which sits at 69-86 and has been eliminated from playoff contention.
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