Former Duke All-American Christian Laettner was suspended for five games without pay yesterday by the Washington Wizards for violating the NBA's substance-abuse policy. The 6-foot-11 forward will be eligible to return January 23.
"I deeply regret any embarrassment that my actions have caused to members of my family, my teammates, my fans and the Washington Wizards organization," Laettner said in a statement. "I accept full responsibility for my actions. I have elected to seek professional assistance to fully educate myself as to the consequences of my behavior to assure that these issues never interfere again with my career and my obligations to my team, my teammates and our fans."
Laettner, who is arguably one of the greatest players in the history of college basketball, is in his 12th season in the NBA and in the third-year of a four-year contrct worth 21 million dollars.
Laettner's specific violation is unknown due to confidentiality rules which prohibit the league and the team from disclosing any information regarding the impetus of suspension. There are two instances, however, in which a player incurs a five-game suspension: failing a banned substance test three times, or by violating an aftercare program the NBA requires players to attend after a first or second positive test.
"It comes as a surprise to us," Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. "We're disappointed. He feels terrible about the situation, and he's willing to do whatever he needs to do to get on the right track and get back to playing."
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