Ryan Braun's Urine Collector Gives His Side Of The Story

Everyone has a lawyer, and everyone has a statement. Today's comes from Dino Laurenzi, Jr., the employee of Comprehensive Drug Testing responsible for collecting Ryan Braun's sample, and he'd like to clear up just what happened on that fateful October evening.

On October 1, 2011, I collected samples from Mr. Braun and two other players. The CDT collection team for that day, in addition to me, included three chaperones and a CDT coordinator. One of the chaperones was my son, Anthony. Chaperones do not have any role in the actual collection process, but rather escort the player to the collection area.

I followed the same procedure in collecting Mr. Braun's sample as I did in the hundreds of other samples I collected under the Program. I sealed the bottles containing Mr. Braun's A and B samples with specially-numbered, tamper-resistant seals, and Mr. Braun signed a form signifying, among other things, that the specimens were capped and sealed in his presence and that the specimen identification numbers on the top of the form matched those on the seals.

I placed the two bottles containing Mr. Braun's samples in a plastic bag and sealed the bag. I then placed the sealed bag in a standard cardboard Specimen Box which I also sealed with a tamper-resistant, correspondingly-numbered seal placed over the box opening. I then placed Mr. Braun's Specimen Box, and the Specimen Boxes containing the samples of the two other players, in a Federal Express Clinic Pack.

None of the sealed Specimen Boxes identified the players. I completed my collections at Miller Park at approximately 5:00 p.m. Given the lateness of the hour that I completed my collections, there was no FedEx office located within 50 miles of Miller Park that would ship packages that day or Sunday.

Therefore, the earliest that the specimens could be shipped was Monday, October 3. In that circumstance, CDT has instructed collectors since I began in 2005 that they should safeguard the samples in their homes until FedEx is able to immediately ship the sample to the laboratory, rather than having the samples sit for one day or more at a local FedEx office. The protocol has been in place since 2005 when I started with CDT and there have been other occasions when I have had to store samples in my home for at least one day, all without incident.

The FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's samples never left my custody. Consistent with CDT's instructions, I brought the FedEx Clinic Pack containing the samples to my home.

Immediately upon arriving home, I placed the FedEx Clinic Pack in a Rubbermaid container in my office which is located in my basement. My basement office is sufficiently cool to store urine samples.

No one other than my wife was in my home during the period in which the samples were stored. The sealed Specimen Boxes were not removed from the FedEx Clinic Pack during the entire period in which they were in my home.

On Monday, October 3, I delivered the FedEx Clinic Pack containing Mr. Braun's Specimen Box to a FedEx office for delivery to the laboratory on Tuesday, October 4. At no point did I tamper in any way with the samples. It is my understanding that the samples were received at the laboratory with all tamper-resistant seals intact.

Let's be honest. You're just going to seize on the details that fit what you've already decided. If you think Braun should have been guilty, you noted that the urine was kept in a jar inside a bag inside a box inside another box, with at least two levels of tamper-resistant sealing that were found not to have been broken. You noted that Braun's sample wasn't distinguishable from the other two samples enclosed, and that neither of those samples spontaneously grew synthetic testosterone.

Or perhaps you think Braun got screwed, and noted that Laurenzi did bring his son with him for the collection, as a "chaperone." You noted that Laurenzi decided all FedEx locations were closed, even though he finished his collection at 5 p.m. local time. Multiple FedEx locations would have still been open that night, and on Sunday as well. You noted that Laurenzi stored the sample in tupperware in his basement, not in a refrigerator.

Or maybe you've just noted that this thing has moved beyond he doped/he's clean, and is at the point where everyone involved is covering their bases for any potential lawsuits.