After playing two-thirds of the NBA season, former Razorback basketball forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games after violating the league's anti-drug policy. Portis will have a few games left in the regular season once the suspension concludes.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported via Portis' agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports that the former Hog and NBA champion accidentally took a medication called Tramadol instead of the intended substance, Toradol. Both are pain medications, but Tramadol was recently added to the banned substance list in the spring.
"I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake, and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant," said Bartelstein.
"Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol... The tramadol pill he took came from an assistant of his, with a valid prescription for the painkiller, which he mistakenly told Bobby was Toradol. This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact they both serve a very similar purpose.
"Bobby was using this anti-inflammatory pain-reducing medication to deal with an elbow injury he had this past fall and believed he was taking Toradol to alleviate some pain in preparation for that night's game."
In his statement, Bartelstein goes on to express how disappointed he is in the NBA's decision. "Bobby Portis is not a drug abuser. Bobby works tirelessly on increasing his performance in all natural, legal, healthy ways, but he made a mistake and took a pill that Unknowingly he should not have."
Bartelstein continues, "I am so deeply disappointed that the NBA chooses to interpret its policy so strictly, and that the policy does not allow for a different result for an honest mistake with pure intentions."
Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports to ESPN on client Bobby Portis' 25-game suspension, detailing what took place: https://t.co/sB9vmPVYxA pic.twitter.com/tVvbotBJlt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2025
Regardless of intentions, people are doubtful the incident was purely accidental. Host of ESPN's First Take, Steven A. Smith, lays it out perfectly. "For the record, to the agent, [I take] the agent at his word for what he says. Just know that most of America doesn't believe you."
Smith continues, "When it comes to a professional athlete and PED use, no one is going to assume it was a mistake. So, the believability factor goes out of the window in the eyes of most people."
Although the words are tough coming from Smith, it doesn't mean he's not a fan of the Milwaukee star. "Twenty-five minutes a game, giving you 13 and eight on 46 percent shooting, he's a vital component to the success of the Milwaukee Bucks. I think they'll need him in order to really try to make a run."