The NBA has suspended New Orleans Pelicans forward Didi Louzada for 25 games for violating the competition’s anti-drug program. According to the league statement, the player has tested positive for drostanolone and testosterone.
Louzada has stated that she was unaware that both substances were prohibited. These were prescribed by a nutritionist he visited in his native Brazil during the offseason.
“Because the nutritionist has an extensive history of working with professional athletes, I would never have imagined that any of these substances were prohibited,” the player told the journalist of ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski. “Once I received the news of the positive, I immediately cooperated fully with the league and the player union to help us all understand what exactly happened. I would never knowingly take anything that violates NBA rules. I accept my responsibility in this situation. I am deeply sorry this happened and I apologize to my team, my teammates and the Pelicans fans for this mistake. “
The 22-year-old was selected 35th in the 2019 draft by the Atlanta Hawks, although his rights would be transferred to the Pelicans that same night.
Since then he has only played five games between last year and the current one. This same summer, he signed a partially guaranteed four-year, $ 7.7 million contract. Now, this incident puts his settlement and stability in the NBA at risk.