(JNS.org) Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun — the former Most Valuable Player of Major League Baseball’s National League, who in July was suspended for the rest of the 2013 season over drug violations — on Thursday, August 15 for the first time admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Braun’s father is an Israeli-born Jew, and his mother is Catholic. Last year, Braun got a 50-game suspension for high levels of testosterone overturned after successfully disputing the drug-testing process. The latest suspension, which he did not appeal, encompasses 65 games and any possible post-season play. He acknowledged in July that he had “made some mistakes,” but did not explicitly admit to using PEDs. Braun had adamantly denied using PEDs at a press conference in February 2012, following an arbitrator’s decision to overturn his 50-game suspension that year. On Thursday he said he “deeply” regrets what he said at that press conference.

Braun is a .312 career hitter, with 211 homeruns in seven seasons. In 2011, when he won the Most Valuable Player award, he batted .332 with 33 homeruns, 111 RBI, and 33 stolen bases.