Collins had been having a nice start with the Hawks.
Earlier this year, Deandre Ayton the Phoenix Suns was hit with a 25-game suspension for using a diuretic which is sometimes used to hide the use PEDs. Well, yet another NBA player has been hit with a similar suspension as this time, it is John Collins the Atlanta Hawks who got caught. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the league says Collins tested positive for using growth hormones. Just like Ayton, Collins is looking at a 25-game suspension.
The former 2017 first-round draft pick is already planning to appeal the suspension and made a statement to ESPN proclaiming his innocence. As Collins explains in the tweets below, he unknowingly took the hormone while taking his usual batch supplements. Collins has also apologized at length for putting his teammates in a precarious position.
“First I want to apologize to my teammates, the Hawks organization, our fans, partners and community as a whole for this situation,” Collins explained. “I understand the impact this matter has on what we are trying to achieve together this season, and I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself for putting all us in this position.”
Now that Collins plans to appeal the suspension, it will be interesting to see what the NBA decides to do here. There is always a chance he could get the suspension reduced although the league is pretty clear about its anti-doping rules.