I have written before that I am a fan of Jordan Schafer. As is Bobby Cox. It seems we should hold off judgment (i.e. Rosenthal) on Schafer until this story plays out. However, there is a revealing piece from Schafer’s father:
- I want so bad to clear things up, and I want so bad for Jordan to clear things up,” said his father, David Schafer, a Florida businessman. “But unfortunately the powers that be say not to say anything. I want so bad to straighten this thing out, I just can’t say. … I don’t know what to do. He’s in a bad spot. It’s not the way it seems
- A baseball official confirmed the investigation. There was no positive drug test — baseball doesn’t recognize any test for HGH as reliable (though the World Doping Agency says there is one). The official would say only that there are other “non-analytical” means of establishing guilt, including possession of a drug
- Jordan Schafer changed his cellphone number Tuesday and was instructed by an attorney not to talk about the charge that he used HGH or about the suspension handed down by commissioner Bud Selig’s office.
- It’s killing him not to be able to say anything,” his father said. “It’s killing me. I don’t even go online because I don’t want to read it. He said the same thing — he usually goes online, but he said, ‘Dad, I don’t even want to read that stuff.
- He was willing to take a blood test, give them hair samples, willing to do anything he could
- Because Schafer is not yet on the Braves’ 40-man major league roster and not a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association, he doesn’t have the powerful union for support.
- There is a suspension appeal process in the minor leagues. It’s not like in the majors, where cases go to an independent arbiter.
- It is unclear whether Schafer will remain in Mississippi with the M-Braves. “We’re checking on the specifics of what he can and can’t do,” said Kurt Kemp, Braves director of player development. Kemp said Schafer was not currently with the team.
- There are questions, but even team officials have not been able to get complete answers. Schafer was advised not to discuss matters with anyone.
