Hawks forward John Collins decided against appealing his 25-game NBA suspension, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
“I was going to take the first step, but after reconvening with my team and talking some things out, we just decided it was best to move forward,” Collins said. “But it was definitely in consideration.”
Collins, who returned to action without a minutes restriction on Monday after finishing out the suspension, admits the ban for testing positive for a growth hormone injured his reputation.
“I’ve seen some of those comments and they hurt me a little bit, saying ‘This guy’s a cheater,’” Collins said. “I would want to let them know I’m not a cheater and this is something that will never happen again, if I can control it.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Celtics center Enes Kanter will play at Toronto on Christmas, he wrote in a story for The Globe and Mail. Kanter has an ongoing dispute with the current regime in his native Turkey and the government has issued a warrant for his arrest. Kanter wrote in part, “I want to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, U.S. and Canadian law enforcement, U.S. Senator Ed Markey, the Celtics, the NBA and my managers for working diligently to make my Christmas game against the Raptors possible and ensuring my safety there. And, on Christmas night, I will play in my first game as a Celtic outside the U.S. when I take the court against the Raptors.”
- Nets guard Caris LeVert is close to returning, ESPN’s Malika Andrews tweets. LeVert participated in most aspects of the team’s practice on Monday and did contact work with the Nets’ coaches. LeVert has been out since mid-November with a thumb injury. Kyrie Irving, who is trying to work his way back from a shoulder injury, still hasn’t been cleared for contact and is unlikely to play Thursday against New York, Andrews adds in another tweet.
- Pistons guard Reggie Jackson will soon get another evaluation on the back injury that has sidelined him since the first two games this season, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Jackson has been doing non-contact activities for several weeks, Ellis adds.
The whole Kanter thing is totally absurd… But glad to see that Canada is not going to do anything absurd at the pressure of the Turkish government.
It was really a shame for both NBA and Canada
I don’t think Canada and Turkey have an extradition treaty and turkey has no leverage in this case (or in any matter involving Canada, really). I’m happy things worked out for Kanter and hope there is an increased security presence for him
The more Collins opens his mouth, the more he does sound like a cheater.