# Brad Miller suspended for violating anti-drug program



## Peja Vu

Kings center Brad Miller has been suspended for the first five games of the 2008-09 season after violating terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced Thursday.


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## Peja Vu

Official Statements:

BRAD MILLER STATEMENT

Geoff Petrie statement regarding Brad Miller


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## R-Star

I knew his weight loss was suspect. Brad likes the nose candy.


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## croco

What did he do ? Take drugs for his personal joy or performance enhancing drugs ? If it's the latter, he should be suspended for the season. The NBA really doesn't care much about the topic with those mini suspensions.


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## Peja Vu

Kings, veteran center pay price: Five-game penalty indicates positive tests for marijuana



> The NBA did not disclose the nature of Miller's anti-drug violation. However, the most common reason for a five-game suspension under the league's anti-drug policy is testing positive for marijuana a third time. A positive test for other prohibited drugs such as cocaine and opiates results in a player being "dismissed and disqualified" from the league, as outlined in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.
> 
> Steroids or other performance-enhancing substances result in a 10-game suspension for a first offense.
> 
> Petrie and Theus said they were not aware of the drug involved in Miller's case.
> 
> "There is no excuse for it, but it's a mistake, and it's going to be an expensive mistake for him," Petrie added. "We are going to start short-handed at the beginning of the season because of it."
> 
> Miller will lose approximately $693,000 of his team-high $11,375,000 contract next season.
> 
> Drug tests are administered randomly four times a year from Oct. 1 through June 30. After the first positive test for marijuana, a player is required to enter the league's substance abuse program. A second positive test results in a $25,000 fine, and the third carries a five-game suspension. The suspension is doubled to 10 games for a fourth positive test.
> 
> "This is something that I'm sure he never wanted to happen," Theus said. "But now that it has, he's just going to have to do everything he can to come back ready to play. The only way to fix it is to come back ready to go."
> 
> Miller is coming off a much-improved season in which he averaged 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in 72 games. He missed the final seven games of the season because of a stress fracture in his left leg and a bone chip in his right elbow. He underwent successful surgery in April to repair the bone chip.
> 
> His 2007-08 performance followed one of his worst campaigns the previous year, when he struggled with a left foot injury that led to conditioning and weight issues.
> 
> "I made a mistake," Miller said in a statement. "It was an error in judgment, and I'm very sorry. I regret it deeply. It's something I won't and can't take lightly. I hope to bounce back from this as a better person, and I'm excited about the upcoming season."
> 
> The last King suspended for the violating the anti-drug program was Maurice Taylor in 2006, and the team waived him one month later. Most notably, former Kings Chris Webber and Jason Williams served five-game suspensions in 2004 and 2000, respectively, for positive tests.
> 
> Second-year center Spencer Hawes likely will start for Miller.
> 
> "He is disappointed that it turned out the way it did," Hawes said of Miller after summer-league practice Thursday. "But the only thing we can do is move on and make the best out of it."


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## Peja Vu

Ailene Voisin: Miller's misstep disappoints those who believe in him



> Dear Brad,
> 
> What were you thinking? That's the first question. And the second and the third question. What were you thinking? What were you thinking? Within a few minutes Thursday – news travels at the speed of sound and Internet these days – you blew it. You inhaled, and you blew it.
> 
> Assuming you tested positive for smoking marijuana between Oct. 1 and June 30, as is widely believed within the organization, you disappointed your bosses, your coaches and your teammates, your fans – including your youthful admirers – all of whom will be denied your presence for the first five games of the 2008-09 season.
> 
> This is California, but this still hurts.
> 
> You couldn't wait until the dead of summer, when the league's pot police rarely travels anywhere near your favorite fishing holes? Frankly, after all the positives that transpired last season, I'm surprised. Did you forget the public's reaction when you arrived in excellent shape, promising to reclaim your All-Star form and insisting your miserable 2006-07 season was an aberration? When you spoke so sincerely and candidly, attributing your struggles to the strain associated with your infant daughter's illness, and Sacramentans responded with a group hug?
> 
> And then you flunk a drug test? What were you thinking? What's the excuse this time? That you endured a momentary lapse of judgment? That the latest loss to the Lakers drove you to sneak a hit on the side? Please. Puff away on your own time. If this had occurred during the summer, when your physical condition merely affects your ability to chug beers, hunt animals, fish for yellowtail or landscape your homes in Indianapolis and Sacramento, I believe I speak for a significant percentage of observers when I say, "To each his own."


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## pac4eva5

R-Star said:


> I knew his weight loss was suspect. Brad likes the nose candy.


quite the opposite. and wouldnt the nose candy get u suspended for a few years?


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## Peja Vu

Kings' Miller vows he'll rebound after suspension



> *Q:* Brad, you knew this was coming. But what was your reaction when the news came out?
> 
> *A:* I just want to try and take advantage of all of the resources. As soon as I get back to Sac, I have to go and talk to a doctor and stuff, just try and take advantage of that. Obviously, I know I'm an idiot for putting myself in this situation.
> 
> Sometimes things have to get really bad before I fix things in my life, and that's (how) it's been my whole life.
> 
> Telling mom (Rosie Miller) and grandma (Mary Ann Heitz) wasn't a great conversation to have, obviously. It was pretty tough trying to take the high road … in terms of trying to take advantage of people and resources (the league makes) you have to do and help me get through it. All the stress gets to you, and this is one way to take my mind off of everything. I'll look for something different. I don't like sleeping pills – that's my biggest problem. Whether it's some sort of vitamin or something that can help as well. I want to talk to (medical professionals) and find some help. That's one of the main things I'm going to do when I get back to Sacramento.
> 
> *Q:* Is the stress and helping you sleep your main reasons for using it?
> 
> *A:* It's tough to sleep, you know. And you know, the people who might think I'm a bad guy for this – I'm not a bad guy. I'm still me. It's just one thing I thought would help. It obviously wasn't the right thing to do, but it was helpful to my mental state. I have normal Brad and the when-I-get-on-that-court Brad. It's a battle all the time to get that balance between the two. People meet me, and they're like, "Man, you're not laid back." Well, that's because you never met me off the court. We'll see how they (doctors) can help and make it easier. One goal is to come back in even better shape than last year. That's what I've got to do right now. No. 1 and No. 2 goals are to get the health and come back and have another hell of a year.
> 
> *Q:* You have guys out there like (Dallas') Josh Howard who just say, "This is what I do," but you sound like you're trying to cut it out of your life.
> 
> *A:* Back in the day, I was worse. … Obviously, the little one has changed a lot of my philosophies and a lot of the ways I act.
> 
> *Q:* Two years ago, you didn't have the season you wanted to have. You come back refreshed and in much better shape, physically in a whole different world. Has this been a process the last couple years to clean things up overall outside of this situation?
> 
> *A:* The thing is, I don't like drinking anymore. A couple years ago – I'll say it – I drank way too much and didn't like who I was. It wasn't good for my relationship (with longtime girlfriend Abby Robinson) and basketball and everything. I'm just trying to find a way to change out of that, that relief. … I haven't done it (smoked marijuana) in years during the season. I just drank and that wasn't a good thing to do. I didn't like that person at all. My boys (friends) did, but that's your boys.


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