Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis suspended twenty five video games for violating NBA’s anti-drug policy
Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis suspended twenty five video games for violating NBA’s anti-drug policy
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Bobby Portis gained’t be suitable to return to the Bucks until April 8. (Photograph by Stacy Revere/Getty Pictures)
Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis was suspended twenty five games with no purchase violating the NBA’s anti-drug method, the league introduced Thursday. He tested constructive for Tramadol.
Portis’ agent, Mark Bartelstein, unveiled a statement proclaiming the violation was in essence a mix-up. Bartelstein reported Portis considered he was taking a agony medication identified as Toradol, that's authorized, but instead took Tramadol, which is not. The assertion said Portis was supplied the incorrect medication by an assistant of his, and it had been “an genuine error.”
“Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser,” Bartelstein wrote. “Bobby works tirelessly on escalating hisperformance in all normal, legal and wholesome ways, but he made a oversight and took a pill that unknowingly he shouldn't have. Now, During this occasion, I am so deeply let down the NBA chooses to interpret its coverage so strictly, and that the policy will not allow for for a different outcome for an straightforward oversight with pure intentions.”
In an announcement introduced with the Bucks, Portis explained, “I come to feel Awful and realize which i’m responsible for what I put in my system. From The underside of my coronary heart, I wish to apologize to your Bucks Business, my teammates, coaches, spouse and children and supporters. I give every thing I've over the court docket and will terribly skip enjoying games for the Bucks in the course of this time.”
Bucks common manager Jon Horst stated that while “this is the very hard set of instances for Bobby and our group … we one hundred% aid Bobby.”
The twenty five-game suspension would make Portis ineligible to return right until the Bucks’ April eight dwelling recreation in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Together with that game, the Bucks would have just 4 frequent-year video games remaining. Milwaukee at this time sits in fifth position during the Eastern Convention, a single recreation back again in the Indiana Pacers.
Portis has played in 46 online games with the Bucks this season, averaging 25.two minutes, thirteen.7 points and eight.three rebounds for each activity.