By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
As Shams Charania reported, the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
His agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, shared a statement with ESPN regarding the suspension:
“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake, and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant.
Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol. Toradol is an approved pain medication that he has used previously and that teams and players use for pain and inflammation at times.
Tramadol, however, is not an approved pain medication and was just recently added to the banned substance list this past spring. The Tramadol pill he took came from an assistant of his, who had a valid prescription for the painkiller, and mistakenly told Bobby it was Toradol. This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact that they both serve a very similar purpose,” Bartelstein explained.
Portis has been a key piece of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ success this season, averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds. Following the suspension, he will be able to return only for the last four games of the NBA regular season.