The NBA announced Wednesday that Hornets center Al Jefferson has been suspended five games without pay for violation of the NBA's anti-drug policy. Jefferson, who is currently out several weeks with a strained calf, will serve the suspension once he's physically listed as able to play.
A five-game suspension is the mandated punishment for a third violation for testing positive for marijuana and not an HGH or performance-enhancing-drug violation, as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the players' union.
The Hornets likely won't be hurt too much by this development. They've actually played better with Jefferson out, focused more on spreading the floor with their new 3-point heavy attack. It's not great for public-relations purposes but also not something that's going to really hurt them. For Jefferson, he's 30 years old, but apparently this kind of behavior was important enough for him to risk the punishment, for some reason.
The Hornets released the following statement:
“We are disappointed in Al’s decisions that led to this suspension. As an organization, we do not condone this behavior. We have addressed this with Al. He is regretful and understands that we expect him to learn from this mistake.”
Here's Jefferson's statement, via the Hornets:
“I want to apologize to the Hornets organization, our owner, my teammates and my coaches for the poor decision that I made. I know I have let people down, especially the Hornets fans that have been so supportive of me since I arrived in Charlotte two years ago. I am blessed to be able to play the game that I love for a living and I do not take that for granted. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry, and I am committed to making smarter decisions in the future.”
So that's pretty much that.
