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Milwaukee Busjes forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania. The Bucks are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and gearing up for a postseason push, but they will be without Portis until the very end of the regular season as there are just 29 games remaining on the schedule.
“Just In: The NBA has suspended Milwaukee Bucks' Bobby Portis for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy, sources tell ESPN,” Shams Charania said in a post.
According to Bobby Portis' agent Mark Bartelstein, the violation was an “honest mistake” from Portis. He was apparently trying to take Toradol, an approved painkiller, and he took Tramadol accidentally.
“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant,” Mark Bartelstein said. “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, with a valid prescription for the painkiller, which he mistakenly told Bobby was Toradol. This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact they both serve a very similar purpose. Bobby was using this anti-inflammatory pain-reducing medication to deal with an elbow injury he had this past fall and believed he was taking Toradol to alleviate some pain in preparation for that night's game.”
Portis and his agent are in cooperation with the league, but Bartelstein is disappointed that Portis faces such a harsh penalty for an honest mistake.
“Bobby is a great person, teammate and professional, and has a wonderful reputation in our league, his communities, and his team,” Bartelstein continued. “There are no bigger fans of the NBA than Bobby and I, and we are grateful to have closely and chiaboratively worked with the NBA on countless occasions. We support the league's anti-drug policy and its purpose in having a fair, competitive, healthy landscape for our athletes as it relates to drugs of abuse, performance enhancing issues, etc. Bobby Portis is absolutely not a drug abuser. Bobby works tirelessly on increasing his performance in all natural, legal, healthy ways, but he made a mistake and took a pill that unknowingly he should not have. Today, in this instance, I am so deeply disappointed that the NBA chooses to interpret its policy so strictly, and that the policy does not allow for a different result for an honest mistake with pure intentions.”
Unfortunately for Portis, there is no option but to face the 25-game suspension. He will miss all but four remaining games on the Bucks schedule.
“Bobby loves being a part of the NBA and he loves being a role model and a true ambassador for the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee,” Bartelstein added. “This has been incredibly difficult for him, but he will accept this penalty with grace and turn this into a great opportunity to improve and further build his reputation and performance in every way, both on and off the court.”
The Bucks also released a statement regarding the suspension, and Portis was able to tell the story from his point of view.
“I was dealing with an elbow injury and using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation,” Portis said in the statement. “During that time, I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved. I feel horrible and recognize that I'm responsible for what I put in my body. From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize to the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, family, and fans. I give everything I have on the court and will terribly miss playing games for the Bucks during this time. I will continue to work hard and be ready for our long playoff run. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it more than you know.”
Bucks GM Jon Horst also shared some comments in the statement, and he and the team are fully behind Portis through these unfortunate circumstances.
“This is a very difficult set of circumstances for Bobby and our team,” said Bucks general manager Jon Horst. “He and the Bucks organization respect the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program and will accept what's been handed down. But we 100% support Bobby. Together we will take this opportunity to grow and will have a better and stronger Bobby and Milwaukee Bucks team. He's an integral part of who we are, a huge member of the Milwaukee community, and we look forward to his return.”
Bobby Portis will miss the next 25 games before being eligible to play again on April 8th against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
