No, he didn't.
He said it wouldn't bother him if he was not chose to participate because it's "more fun to watch".
I don't care if you're average fan dan or informed fan stan, Braun being in the derby is cool to all fans. Informed fan will sit back and say "ahh it's just a dog and pony show yadda yadda...." but they will still be watching and even informed fan #1 who spends their days alone, pooping on average fan dan, will jump up and mark out if Braun were to win the HR derby.
It's a legit snub. Spin it as nothing all you want.