Now the Atlanta Hawks will lose their big man John Collins for 25 games after the third-year center tested positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2).
This news came down on Tuesday morning from NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Atlanta forward John Collins has been suspended 25 games for violating NBA's Anti-Drug policy.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 5, 2019
Additionally, Collins told Wojnarowski he will appeal the suspension and issued the following statement.
“First I want to apologize to my teammates, the Hawks organization, our fans, partners and community as a whole for this situation. 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 of us in this position.”
Notably, this is not just a role-player for Atlanta; but a player who has had an early impact on the upstart Hawks’ season. Thus far, Collins is averaging 17 points and 8.8 rebounds a game in around 32 minutes a game.
Furthermore, Collins’ statement continued with the usual athlete chatter. For example – when an athlete tests positive for PEDs – usually we hear about how they know what goes into their body and this doesn’t make sense. Moreover, if this sounds familiar; it’s the second big man to get popped for 25 games on the young season. Remember, Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns faced a similar ban just before the season began.
“I have always been incredibly careful about what I put in my body, but I took a supplement, which, unbeknownst to me, had been contaminated with an illegal component. I plan to appeal my suspension in arbitration so I can get back on the court as soon as possible and continue to contribute to our 2019-20 campaign.”
Now the Hawks will try to move forward with Trae Young and company without falling too far out of things. Once Collins returns, we should get a true measure of his skills and talents.
