Wisconsin Restaurant Group Drops MLB's Ryan Braun

SURG Restaurant Group has dropped Major League Baseball player Ryan Braun following his 65-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. According to the Journal Sentinel, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder was involved with three Wisconsin restaurant projects with SURG: a restaurant called Ryan Braun's Graffito in Milwaukee, and two locations of a restaurant called 8-Twelve MVP Bar & Grill (one open in Brookfield, WI and one in the works in Glendale, WI). He is not an owner.

The Associated Press reports that as part of their decision to end business relations with Braun, SURG has cut Braun's name from Graffito and has announced that the restaurant will remain open only for the rest of the year "to honor its pre-existing obligations to its customers and employees." 8-Twelve MVP Bar & Grill is a collaboration between SURG, Braun, and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. (Rodgers is the "twelve" in the restaurant's name, while Braun is the "8.") This restaurant will also be getting a new name, and SURG is maintaining its relationship with Rodgers. At present, Braun's name still appears on the 8-Twelve website, but it has been removed from descriptions on the Graffito website. Graffito's Facebook and Twitter have been deactivated. This isn't the end of the saga for Braun; he's personally calling season ticket holders to apologize for his behavior.

· SURG Cutting Off Relationship with Ryan Braun [JS]
· Restaurant Group Ends Ties with Ryan Braun [AP]
· All Wisconsin Coverage on Eater [-E-]