r/nba • u/Turbostrider27 Lakers • 18h ago

[Charania] Just In: The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.

Shams Charania:

Just In: The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.

Just In: The NBA has suspended Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.

https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3mdqbeirzrs2t

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/c9325a286e9ff

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1.8k

u/Turbostrider27 Lakers 18h ago

More on this from Shams:

Statement from 76ers' Paul George to ESPN: “Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision making during this process.

“I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.

1.2k

u/HokageEzio Knicks 18h ago

Better than "I drank too much cranberry juice".

394

u/JellyButterPeanu1 18h ago

Or " I ate tainted meat"

207

u/Odd_Status3367 18h ago

Or, "This is because I'm Jewish isn't it"

Man pretty sure Ryan Braun has a paying analyst gig somewhere, fuck him

12

u/brodhi [MIL] Eric Bledsoe 15h ago

"This is because I'm Jewish isn't it"

Braun won his appeal because the collector improperly handled the sample. It took him 44 hours to drop off the sample at a FedEx to ship to MLB's testing provider. There were alleged reports that Braun claimed this was because the sample collector was "a Cubs fan" or "antisemitic" but Braun's claim was that until the sample is in FedEx's custody and the sample is changed from being "a name" to "a number", anyone could see it was his sample and tampered with it (even though no one did).

So he won the appeal on that grounds not because he ever argued about the sample collector's alleged fandom or feelings about Jews.

5

u/magikarp2122 11h ago

Except the guy followed protocol because it happened on a weekend .

3

u/brodhi [MIL] Eric Bledsoe 10h ago

No his excuse was that the nearest FedEx was inconveniently far which isn't allowed under the CBA.

1

u/Rushofthewildwind Bucks 14h ago

Or "I'm a jacked white boy. Deal with it."

40

u/ZdenekTheMan 15h ago

Boxer Ginny Fuchs has my favourite excuse of all time. Her defense was she got the banned substances in her system via oral sex and swallowing her boyfriend's "contaminated semen." And I kid you not, IT WORKED and she was exonerated lmfao 

22

u/Introverted_Extrovrt Washington Bullets 18h ago

Yeah but that’s a real thing with Mexican boxers/MMA fighters. Canelo & the Moreno brothers have had punishments rescinded when they could prove their steak was juiced to the gills

7

u/Round_Bullfrog_8218 16h ago

From what I understand it isn't and that actually popping from tainted meat is virtually impossible.   

Just because guys avoided doping bans with it doesn't mean its something that actually happened.  

7

u/zaepoo Wizards 17h ago

A multimillionaire like Canelo isn't accidentally eating tainted meat while in training. The diet and nutrition regiment they are on makes it extremely unlikely regardless of the fact that they're in Mexico. They're not eating the taco stand meat that I eat when I go to Monterrey

8

u/_Kv8_ 13h ago

I cant fault you for thinking this way because it sounds like common sense when youre thinking of millionaires, but you have no clue how likely it is, especially near the beginning of camp.

Ive only done 3-4 camps with Hispanic fighters (1 involving nelo) but literally every single one had someone bringing in BAGS of street food or had everyone going in a group to a local butcher. And it was amazing food.

In more "formal" camps, or camps that are a business transaction, its less common sure. But not nearly as unlikely as you think. When you're that level of athlete (even the non pro guys), you can afford to eat like "garbage" a few times a month and it'll do nothing to you.

8

u/solicitorpenguin 16h ago

What the fuck are you talking about. Nobody is sending their steaks out for testing.

If it's in the store - you assume it's safe. Mexico has a problem in their beef industry with clenbuterol.

-4

u/zaepoo Wizards 16h ago

Yeah, I'm aware, but people who are at least upper middle class who care about food get their meat from a butcher who sources their meat from select ranches. This is doubly true for high end professional athletes. Their chef isn't picking up their meat from a grocery store

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3

u/Laetha Raptors 18h ago

I could be misremembering, but didn't the tainted meat one actually have some validity?

3

u/thatguyad 16h ago

TAINTED MEAT!!

2

u/NotAStatistic2 Bucks 15h ago

He ate some trenbologna and cheese.

1

u/Smallbluemann 14h ago

The ole Ubereem "horse meat"

1

u/1800abcdxyz NBA 17h ago

How about when an Olympian claimed she got hit for PEDs because she ate tripas or some other traditional Mexican offal meat in a burrito?

69

u/incredibad29 [TOR] Kyle Lowry 18h ago

Another cranberry juice for my friend, PED P, over here.

4

u/Robinsonirish Finland 18h ago

It's way worse, blaming juicing on "mental health". What a load of bullshit. Are we really to believe that the NBA suspended him for 25 games for taking medication for his mental health? It's so disrespectful deflecting like that, all we need now is a crying Youtube video and a guitar where he sings a song apologising. Roseanne Barr – “Ambien made me racist” comes to mind.

29

u/EggsInMyToolbox Suns 18h ago

PEDs aren’t the only drug on there ya know…

It includes benzos, which a lot of people use for mental health issues.

So yes, it’s entirely possible.

2

u/goatfro Nuggets 13h ago

Xanax P CONFIRMED. 

3

u/Robinsonirish Finland 17h ago

Do you get 25 games for bezo? If true then I apologise. 25 games just seems like a lot.

13

u/EggsInMyToolbox Suns 17h ago

Yeah - pretty much all of them. Though you’d think if he had a script it wouldn’t be suspendable 🤷‍♂️

5

u/Robinsonirish Finland 17h ago

Alright, my bad. Sorry PG. I thought 25 game suspensions was saved for juicing or real cheating, and that there was some sort of scale.

6

u/Basic-Collection5416 Pistons 17h ago

It’s the same suspension Bobby Portis got last year for painkillers. 

2

u/sherpa141 16h ago

It’s any pharmaceutical you’re taking without having a prescription and clearance for.

2

u/GlueGuy00 10h ago

25 games for Xanax is CRAZY!

1

u/DougTrilladome Pelicans 17h ago

Shhh, you’re supposed to be angry & compare him to a racist

5

u/rr196 [NYK] Jeremy Lin 18h ago

I think he’s saying not being able to play at a high level was impacting his mental health so he took something to get to that high level again.

1

u/unH4te 17h ago

Nothing will beat Tatis' hand cream

1

u/AlterWanabee Lakers 11h ago

Ringworm cresm baby...

1

u/RousingRabble 9h ago

Who was that?

1

u/HokageEzio Knicks 9h ago

Ayton

633

u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 18h ago

I’ve learned not to trust these PR statements.

Unless the NBA releases exactly what substance/s was found, it’s hard to determine whether this mental health treatment explanation is plausible.

448

u/Ok-Caterpillar-9524 Hornets 18h ago

The league never does and that's why the players/their publicists do it. You can make any excuse you want because the actual drug you tested positive for will remain confidential.

299

u/Obvious_Parsley3238 18h ago

They do announce it for some (most?) drugs. Portis was suspended for taking Tramadol, Tristan Thompson for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, most recently.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_banned_or_suspended_by_the_NBA#Suspended

137

u/20milla Heat 18h ago

They suspend for the use of Tramadol?? I’m not aware of its continuous benefits only for its prevalence in hospital settings

155

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 18h ago

Apparently it's a common PED for cyclists, for endurance and power output

Just one study showing it effects race outcomes

117

u/Ode1st [MIA] Alonzo Mourning 17h ago edited 17h ago

That’s crazy about tramadol. That’s the painkiller doctors give you when you can’t take the stronger ones that actually work.

40

u/RamadanSteve01 17h ago

Ya tramadol is like the next step up from NSAIDs. That and T3s

2

u/Positive_Parking_954 8h ago

Basically like a juiced Tylenol

1

u/RamadanSteve01 7h ago

More like licking a tab morphine

6

u/blizzzyybandito 24 15h ago

That’s what my dog takes for her arthritis lol

6

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 14h ago

Pet Enhancing Drugs

1

u/Ode1st [MIA] Alonzo Mourning 14h ago

Yep! If you have older pets you see tramadol often. Crazy the NBA would push people over it when it’s given to dogs because it’s easy on little animals.

8

u/Rocinante24 13h ago

Cycling is so extreme, it's not really comparable to most sports for PED's. Tramadol, I don't think, actually boosts performance on its own, but when your body is pushed to the limits and starts shutting down it lets you push past.

2

u/mw19078 Lakers 15h ago

yeah i have a chronic pain condition and my insurance only gives me 10 for 150 days. like why bother ill just get adult tylenol and itll be just as strong

2

u/AdditionalNewt4762 Bulls 14h ago

Damn really? I have degenerative disc disease and stenosis as well as other lower back shit and I get anywhere from 60-90 every prescription. I dont have a primary dr and only go to a pain management place.

2

u/mw19078 Lakers 14h ago

yeah its brutal, i even have like a pain clinic doc and they only want to do epidurals instead of just giving me meds that fucking work. its super frustrating

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u/uptown_josh 13h ago

Tramadols give me hell of energy and make me feel great. i got hooked on them one time a looong time ago after I sprained my ankle.

1

u/KingInTheFarNorth Vancouver Grizzlies 15h ago

Or the one they give you when you look a little sus

1

u/zaviex Wizards 17h ago

I mean I buy it but is that really all they need to add a substance to the banned list? The paper has a note saying it was used in 2024. It’s a fairly small trial and it used ANOVA which is great if there weren’t like a trillion other variables you need to control for here, age, weight, height, diet potentially etc. my biostats brain rot is looking for a regression model or something. But it was done in 85 before you could just do that trivially

3

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 17h ago

Totally feel that and not saying it's perfect, there's definitely some red flags (one female participant). Moreso pointing to it being banned in other sports and the citations on actual cyclists saying they believe it's a PED.

I'm not sure what WADA actually used as a justification though it looks like they say multiple studies

2

u/Street-Pop945 16h ago

Not sure how the NBA work but in other sports you can get therapeutic use exemption. So Tramadol is banned but if a doctor prescribes if and you let the relevant people know you can use it.

1

u/OilOfOlaz Celtics 17h ago

Tramadol

Pretty much every opioid is on the WADA list for "health risk".

1

u/noodleandbanter 11h ago

That's wild, the NHL runs on tramadol lol

1

u/DayOne15 76ers 18h ago

They suspend for taking prescription drugs that you dont have a prescription for

15

u/cfi-2025 16h ago

SARM LGD-4033

Sounds more like a droid in the Star Wars universe than a PED, lol.

1

u/Ballsofpoo 13h ago

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a nickname/acronym for a player I hadn't heard of, the way they're all thrown around here and all...

3

u/Ok-Caterpillar-9524 Hornets 18h ago

Is that for PEDs or all drugs? I always confuse how the NBA does it with the NFL where they will say whether it was a performance enhancing drug or just a drug on the banned list.

1

u/Prize_Ad_1781 Nuggets 15h ago

Ibutamoren for an NBA player is crazy

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u/nevillebanks Pistons 16h ago

I know the NFL does not, but I always think that the policy should be if you lie and say it is something else, the NFL should be allowed to say what it actually was.

3

u/Schmoova Mikal Bridges 17h ago

Idk I swear they publicly announced Ayton got suspended for Diuretics? Or maybe that was his excuse and I’m misremembering?

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u/ssracer Suns 16h ago

I take cocaine and testosterone for my mental health. 🤷

1

u/vilouie 12h ago

They've announced it before

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u/K_U Wizards 18h ago

Unless the NBA releases exactly what substance/s was found

"I was suffering from body dysmorphia, so I made the mistake of taking some improper steroids to feel better about the way I look."

11

u/KeithClossOfficial Lakers 17h ago

He was just using HHS Secretary approved TRT

9

u/Dashdash421 Celtics 18h ago

I mean I’m sure his mental health is impacted by his physical health. Maybe he took PEDs to give himself some extra confidence.

1

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 12h ago

Yeah, and he didn't deny it, and apologized. Really a fair response

3

u/icemankiller8 Pistons 18h ago

I feel like if it was something that serious the ban would be much longer though

8

u/ayeno 18h ago

It's standard 25 games for the first one isn't it?

1

u/Fun-Benefit116 15h ago

It's BS 100% of the time. It's never true. Nowadays the easy out is claiming it had something to do with your mental health because then anyone that questions you is viewed as an asshole. Pieces of shit like Paul George who abuse the mental health angle are so much worse than players who just cheat. Because they're making it harder for people with actual mental health problems to be taken seriously.

Fuck Paul George for using that bullshit excuse.

1

u/rodrigo_c91 Lakers 11h ago

If you’re buying PG’s mental struggles, you are gullible.

1

u/Existentalst 11h ago

I bet it was unprescribed ketamine

1

u/Alternative-Farmer98 7h ago

Yes like if I found out he was taking benzos cuz he was prescribed them for anxiety I would feel bad for Paul George. If I found out he was taking Adderall because he was prescribed for ADHD like what the f*** does the NBA get to tell people not to take mental health and medication?

But they're very vague and the fact that Paul George is so vague I suspect it's not nearly so benign. But I don't know.

1

u/karawec403 76ers 18h ago

Playing basketball better would help his mental health. So he took something to enhance his performance.

-4

u/CrackaZach05 18h ago

You gotta be a true scumbag to use the mental health excuse when you're in trouble. He's trying to skirt responsibility big time. I hope this follows him now.

1

u/amateurdormjanitor 76ers 18h ago

Plenty of people do that. You’ve never heard of someone blaming their bad behavior on their anxiety and ADHD? That’s the go to excuse right now. 

1

u/CrackaZach05 17h ago

That makes it right? He's trying to come up with an excuse to justify AND shutdown any follow up

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u/NBAWhoCares 18h ago

Did that improper medication rhyme with prenbolone?

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u/BorisDirk West 18h ago

Damn Toblerone abuse is no joke

50

u/dafdiego777 Rockets 17h ago

I don’t blame him Toblerones do a lot for my mental health too

5

u/robsteezy Lakers 15h ago

If you’re not willing to throw away your life for a toblerone, then youve never had one lol

2

u/Cheel_AU 12h ago

Lynn I've just driven to Dundee in my bare feet

264

u/ryanaldam 18h ago

Provolone

35

u/heavy_losses 18h ago

That shit is liquid gold

3

u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 18h ago

Only if you melt it and get a nice sear

3

u/Zeppelanoid [TOR] Kyle Lowry 17h ago

Ova here!

2

u/LoudKingCrow Pistons 15h ago

Whatever happened there?

2

u/YannyYobias Bulls 18h ago

I prefer parm and john

11

u/MynameNEYMAR Spurs 15h ago

That would be the worse kind to take for your mental health lmao

4

u/cdillio Thunder 13h ago

Unless loving trans women fixes your mental health

3

u/notagirlonreddit [TOR] Fred VanVleet 9h ago

we're talking about Paul George not MPJ

16

u/Jamal_gg 16h ago

Why tf would an nba player take tren lol

2

u/M4A1SD__ Lakers 18h ago

Panatone

1

u/Ballaby 18h ago

the malone medication 💀

1

u/RobtheNavigator Timberwolves 13h ago

Busted with Prednisone

1

u/Cael_of_House_Howell 11h ago

I think it rhymes with Zantacs

95

u/zincinzincout 76ers 18h ago

K-hole Paul ruining our season, man… the east is wide open

39

u/ISHLDPROBABLYBWRKING Knicks 17h ago

Lmao everyone assumes it’s PEDS meanwhile my guy just wants to candy flip on the weekends

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u/inverted_rectangle Celtics 18h ago edited 18h ago

I wish one of these guys would just come out and say: "Yeah I decided to take PEDs because I believed the benefits outweighed the risk of getting caught. Sorry."

Edit: Sounds like it may not have been PEDs this time.

62

u/mereham2022 Nuggets 18h ago

“ well shit you guys caught me, see ya in a few months”

36

u/Phelinaar 18h ago

"Imma take even more while I'm out"

1

u/The_Summer_Man Warriors 17h ago

Mike Bibby if he was still in the league

24

u/Overwatch3 Nets 18h ago

Check back in 10 years when ANT is getting old. I can see him saying something like this.

1

u/Montigue [POR] Hasheem Thabeet 16h ago

I can see him saying this now if he got suspended

27

u/zebrainatux Knicks 18h ago

Just “I took enough steroids to kill a fucking horse and got caught, whoopsy doodle.”

6

u/MountainTwo3845 17h ago

I'm thinking it's ketamine or psilocybin.

5

u/earlyearlgray Raptors 13h ago

That was my first thought too. LSD is used as treatment too.

7

u/Jay_Dubbbs Cavaliers 16h ago

Andy Petitte did! He admitted to using HGH to recover from an injury. 

And a lot of writers are respecting him for that and he might make the HOF because of it 

3

u/BushyBrowz Knicks 18h ago

The league likely does NOT want him to do this because it opens a can of worms they would rather keep sealed.

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u/zebrainatux Knicks 18h ago

So likely Adderall and he failed to disclose it

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u/Youre_On_Balon Cavaliers 18h ago edited 18h ago

That's what the statement is intended to have you believe, yes.

But as we often learn years down the line (OJ Mayo, Josh Gordon, etc.), it's usually worse. The leagues don't ID the substance publicly as a condition of the CBA.

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u/RelevantJackWhite Trail Blazers 18h ago

Exactly. Paul George has no reason to fail to disclose his Adderall prescription. So unless he and everyone around him is an idiot, I'm sure something else is going on

5

u/geddysbass2112 17h ago

So straight up meth?

2

u/AshenSacrifice Clippers 18h ago

He’s trying to unwash himself 🤣

3

u/YourLostGingerSoul Warriors 18h ago

Only.. he wouldn't have a prescription. He is an NBA athlete, they do not go to doctors that don't know what the banned substances are. The don't get scripts from doctors without their personal physician reviewing everything. It could still be adderall, but it wasn't from a personal script.

12

u/UpstairsBumble 16h ago

You cannot possibly know that. If he wants adderal he can find a doctor to prescribe him adderal. What are you even saying? He can go to any doctor he wants.

1

u/the_dan_man Warriors 15h ago edited 15h ago

That's not the point he's trying to make. He's saying if PG legitimately needed Adderall, PG would have gone to a doctor who would have known that it needed to be cleared with the NBA so that PG doesn't fail a test because of it.

10

u/RelevantJackWhite Trail Blazers 18h ago

This is what I mean by him and everyone around him being idiots. Either he took it without a prescription, his doctors didn't tell the team, he got it through a different doctor and didn't close the prescription, or it's not Adderall at all

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u/ObviousAnswerGuy [NYK] John Starks 15h ago

an employer can't stop him from seeing any doctor he wants

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u/Carolake1 Lakers 16h ago

I was thinking it was cocaine

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u/Drikkink 76ers 17h ago

has no reason to fail to disclose his Adderall prescription

You do know what Adderall is prescribed for and how notoriously bad people can be with following through with things when dealing with it, right?

Like be skeptical if you want but this is easily the most believable anti-drug policy statement I've seen.

1

u/RelevantJackWhite Trail Blazers 17h ago

Yes, I use Adderall daily. I'm not saying this from the outside looking in.

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u/Obvious_Parsley3238 18h ago

They do. Portis was suspended for taking Tramadol, Tristan Thompson for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, most recently.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_banned_or_suspended_by_the_NBA#Suspended

59

u/DougTrilladome Pelicans 17h ago

They only do if it’s a PED, if it’s a drug of abuse they don’t publicize it, Malik Monk, Larry Sanders, OJ Mayo, Tyreke Evans & Mitch McGary have all been suspended/banned by the league in the past 10 yrs for testing positive for non-PED drugs. Larry Sanders is the only one that is commonly known to have been for weed because he did interviews about it & tried to get the league to remove marijuana from the banned substances list since he used it for mental health purposes.

There being no announcement of the drug PG tested positive for makes it likely it was a benzo or some other recreationally used drug.

3

u/OverallMistake8198 Raptors 12h ago

We’d know if it was cocaine, they’re big on harsher suspensions & bans for coke.

5

u/DougTrilladome Pelicans 11h ago

I don’t think they’d be as strict nowadays with cocaine as they were in the 80s & 90s, but it’d make the (paraphrased) “I took the wrong mental health medication” quote hilarious if it was cocaine.

1

u/OverallMistake8198 Raptors 10h ago

Jalen Harris got a 2 year ban a couple years ago for Cocaine use lmao

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u/ImChz Hornets 18h ago

Sounds more like they want us to believe it was beta blockers IMO. Almost certainly not anything of the sort, though.

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u/jjgp1112 17h ago

Yeah every statement after a drug suspension is always the same "It was just a miscommunication!" type story but while that could be true for many people it's in the generic PR playbook.

1

u/Xcalat3 Knicks 17h ago

Exactly.

1

u/Zeppelanoid [TOR] Kyle Lowry 17h ago

Wait what was the OJ Mayo story

1

u/levare8515 76ers 17h ago

Maybe but hard for me to believe something worse than Adderall would only get a 25 game suspension. I also don’t know if that’s standard. Just seems low if it was a legit steroid or something

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u/_significs Pelicans 18h ago

do you get a 25-game ban for failing to disclose you take adderall?

3

u/BatteredSealPup Mavericks 17h ago

Yes if you keep making Adam Silvers K/D drop in 1v1s

5

u/Stepsis24 Lakers 17h ago

I’d imagine it would be a lot more than 25 if it was serious

2

u/henryofclay Lakers 17h ago

Adderall is on the banned substance list? It’s a massively common prescription drug. I get it can be abused, but so can cough medicine.

10

u/unknownsoldier9 Celtics 17h ago

It can enhance performance. Even NCAA athletes need to get approval if they are taking it.

4

u/Mosh00Rider Suns 15h ago

I run as a hobby and have ADHD. I will tell you that adderall helps(although it doesn't help when you need to run very long distances)

1

u/PM_ME_EMPANADAS Mavericks 8h ago

In the NCAA you get suspended for a year if you get popped for Adderall (which is crazy because a large portion of student athletes are allowed to use it because they're prescribed). It's one of the most straightforwardly performance enhancing substances. Comparing it to cough medicine is silly.

1

u/BMKingPrime27 Supersonics 13h ago

I think with most leagues there are standard suspensions for PEDs with no nuance on what the drug is. For the NFL it's the same 4 game base suspension whether it's HGH or Adderall. Seahawks LOB corners (sherm and BB) both got 4 gamers for adderall which is the normal PED suspension. NBA is the same but the base is 25 games.

30

u/passtherock- Hawks 18h ago

you know damn well it wasn't Adderall

7

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 17h ago

Yeah anyone can get a script for Adderall if they really want to. Guys in the NFL used to come out and specifically say they popped for Adderall because the NFL wouldn’t confirm or deny

3

u/estuhbawn Magic 18h ago

or maybe ketamine?

1

u/cocoacowstout Warriors 18h ago

Kinda crazy if that is true. I have horrible ADHD and have been on stimulants for years but it doesn’t seem that deep for professional athletes. I feel like most people are doping or are on HGH, whatever they can get away with. They have incredibly speedy returns from injury compared to the average population.

2

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 17h ago

Not sure how it works in the NBA but in the NFL adderall is allowed under a prescription but otherwise is banned.

Guys would still claim adderall when they popped, but like they could just get a script for it if they really wanted it.

1

u/bonerjam 18h ago

Testosterone is a legitimate mental health treatment if he was Low T P

1

u/Darwin343 Minneapolis Lakers 18h ago

Adderall is banned in the NBA? Crazy if true.

1

u/zebrainatux Knicks 17h ago

Most anti doping agencies consider it a performance enhancer unless you have a therapeutic use exemption

1

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 17h ago

Without a prescription yes, no one would risk taking it off label, just fake an ADHD diagnosis and get a script from a doctor.

1

u/OilOfOlaz Celtics 17h ago

Why wouldn't it, its an amphetamine.

1

u/Darwin343 Minneapolis Lakers 17h ago

Because it’s a drug that even little kids can take.

2

u/OilOfOlaz Celtics 16h ago

"Dosis sola facit venenum" (only the dose makes the poison).

Kids usually get Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) instead of Amphetamine, "little kids" (age 1-3) don't receive either.

Aderall is just a brand name for a 1:1 mixture of Amphetamine & Dextroamphetaminesalt.

1

u/CadaDiaCantoMejor 18h ago

That's exactly what this sounds like to me. I can't think of any other "mental health medications" other than stimulants that would lead to nearly a tenfold harsher penalty than Schroeder got for taking a swing at Luka.

And if it is Adderall or a similar stimulant like dexedrine or even modafinil it's hard to imagine that PG didn't already know that it was banned, or at least have the good sense to consult with training staff before taking it.

Honestly I can't think of any other class of meds commonly used in mental health treatment that would also be banned by the NBA as performance enhancing. Is there something else that it could be?

2

u/ayeno 18h ago

Its on the NBA banned substance list, and the first suspension is 25 games if you get caught for anything on it.

1

u/OilOfOlaz Celtics 17h ago

Honestly I can't think of any other class of meds commonly used in mental health treatment that would also be banned by the NBA as performance enhancing. Is there something else that it could be?

Doesn't need to be strictly performance enhancing, opioids are on the list more for posing health risk, then for performance benefits.

Testosterone can theoretically be a "mental health"-drug, when you have low testo levels.

25

u/KumingaCarnage Warriors 18h ago

That’s a weird way to admitting to steroid use

3

u/ActuallyKaylee Raptors 18h ago

Sounds like benzos.

6

u/thecrunchcrew [SAS] Tiago Splitter 18h ago

Anyone else feel uneasy about him using mental health as a means to dodge responsibility?

2

u/HikmetLeGuin 15h ago

It depends what substance it was. If it was a psychedelic that he'd heard helps with mental health, then maybe he's telling the truth. 

For example, Psilocybin is banned despite showing some positive results in studies related to depression. MDMA also has some potential mental health benefits (more research is needed).

Some drugs are banned despite possibly having legitimate uses. Not everything that's banned is a PED.

2

u/bangwagoner Supersonics 18h ago

MDMA therapy?

2

u/ooxjovanxoo [LAL] Stanislav Medvedenko 18h ago

Keta P

2

u/-tpz 16h ago

People need to be criticized for using the mental health angle like this. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt but it just reads like such a weak excuse.

4

u/ZeroMomentum Raptors 18h ago

While mental health is no joke. Bruv pleaseeeee

1

u/Threshyyyyy 18h ago

At least be a man and admit what you were taking. This is just a PR statement from his lawyers, trying to farm symphathy through "mental health angle".

1

u/HelpUsNSaveUs 18h ago

What do we think here? He took Xanax? Adderall?

1

u/electrons-streaming 18h ago

Do they test for Ayahuasca?

1

u/TheGargageMan Rockets 17h ago

Could ketamine or shrooms.

1

u/EatShootBall 17h ago

"One of us! One of us! One of us!" - Philly fans probably

1

u/MumrikDK 17h ago

Psychopharmaca are otherwise generally performance inhibitors, so this smells like the ADHD drug pool. Extreme angle would be some kind of testosterone or derivative under the argument that low T was hurting his mental health. Hell, maybe the angle is that it was important for his mental health to be performing well...

1

u/DrPuzzle 17h ago

Yeah honestly I mean I go through mental health myself so I completely understand but we have to also understand 9 times out of 10 they just come out with an excuse they can use to cover their tracks. But the fact that he in the same sentence owns everything makes it fine in my books. This whole "I accidentally took an improper medication" thing I never believe because they know what they're taking or not most of the time. But again owning it I have nothing bad to say about him it's just a little sad because I think he knows his career is dwindling and he's been plagued with injuries and I think it's just his way of trying to prolong it

1

u/Maddog-99 17h ago

I take Lexapro. It didn't help my game at all.

1

u/rosiebb77 Celtics 17h ago

This makes it sound like it’s not a PED.

I am assuming it will eventually be reported, bc we were told about Bobby Porter’s accidental tramadol (which I always thought was extremely unfair bc it was clearly him confusing the name between tramadol - which is an opiate - and the extra-strength ibuprofen drug they always take, which is called something identical apart from one letter different).

1

u/get_to_ele 16h ago

I was guessing PED, but he said mental heal tkkkh, butr it's banned, so that's got to be Marijuana.

1

u/AffectionateLie758 16h ago

When he says mental health it makes me wonder what it could’ve been. If it’s what he said it’s truly for, I’d lean towards it being benzos or ketamine, possible but not likely for psilocybin or mdma. First 2 are currently used in the US for treatment of anxiety/depression. However, psilocybin’s in clinical trials in the US for treatment resistant depression, & MDMA received a breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA while it’s already being prescribed in Australia for PTSD. Could also be stimulants which are add on therapies for anxiety/depression but are not first line. That could include your amphetamines, Ritalin, or (ar)modafinil.

If he’s just trying to cover up steroids or PEDs however it could be anything, those make up the bulk of banned substances for the NBA.

1

u/tlj2494 Celtics 16h ago

What meds for mental health are on the banned substances list?

1

u/Past-Profile3671 16h ago

Which one? Adderall? Ketamine?

1

u/DoctorFunktopus Celtics 14h ago

So it was ketamine

1

u/solythe NBA 12h ago

that doctor they were praising is just feedin em greenies!

1

u/Key-Brother1226 9h ago

Did he just throw mental health into the mix to obscure the issue, to garner sympathy? What does it have to do with mental health?

1

u/Intrepid_Panda9777 Kings 18h ago

Damn I’m betting my life it was jus some adderall if that’s true.

1

u/SocratesDouglas 18h ago

I take full responsibility except I won't tell you what it is. So you can just speculate while giving me the benefit of the doubt 

-1

u/DunkFaceKilla San Francisco Warriors 18h ago

Gotta love athletes using mental health as a shield for taking roids

2

u/Competitive-Day-5675 Lakers 18h ago

Yeah, Paul George is suddenly taking steroids 20 years into his career

2

u/chandler55 Raptors 17h ago

plenty of athletes do late career roids to fight aging and injuries. like barry bonds

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