Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis suspended 25 games for violating NBA’s anti-drug coverage
Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis suspended 25 games for violating NBA’s anti-drug coverage
Blog Article
Bobby Portis won’t be qualified to return with the Bucks until finally April 8. (Image by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks ahead Bobby Portis was suspended 25 game titles without the need of purchase violating the NBA’s anti-drug software, the league announced Thursday. He examined optimistic for Tramadol.
Portis’ agent, Mark Bartelstein, launched a press release professing the violation was primarily a mixture-up. Bartelstein mentioned Portis thought he was using a pain medication identified as Toradol, which can be approved, but as a substitute took Tramadol, which isn't. The assertion mentioned Portis was specified the incorrect medication by an assistant of his, and it was “an trustworthy mistake.”
“Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser,” Bartelstein wrote. “Bobby performs tirelessly on raising hisperformance in all all-natural, legal and healthful approaches, but he designed a mistake and took a tablet that unknowingly he must not have. Now, Within this occasion, I'm so deeply unhappy that the NBA chooses to interpret its plan so strictly, and the coverage will not enable for a special result for an honest mistake with pure intentions.”
In an announcement launched from the Bucks, Portis reported, “I experience Terrible and recognize that I’m answerable for what I set in my human body. From The underside of my heart, I choose to apologize on the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, relatives and supporters. I give everything I have about the court docket and may terribly skip actively playing game titles for your Bucks through this time.”
Bucks general supervisor Jon Horst stated that even though “this is the quite challenging list of instances for Bobby and our team … we 100% assistance Bobby.”
The 25-sport suspension would make Portis ineligible to return right up until the Bucks’ April 8 residence match in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Which include that video game, the Bucks might have just four regular-time online games remaining. Milwaukee at this time sits in fifth position from the Eastern Meeting, a person video game back again from the Indiana Pacers.
Portis has performed in 46 online games for your Bucks this time, averaging 25.two minutes, thirteen.7 factors and eight.3 rebounds for each sport.