NEW YORK -- Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis tested positive for an elevated testosterone level and was suspended Thursday for 10 games.
Lewis
Lewis said in a statement that he took an over-the-counter supplement late last season that included a substance he did not realize was banned by the NBA.
"First and foremost I take full responsibility for the situation and accept the corresponding penalty," Lewis said. "I apologize to Magic fans, my teammates and this organization for not doing the research that should come with good judgment."
He will be suspended without pay for the first 10 regular-season games for which he is eligible and physically able to play. He will be docked about $1.6 million of his $18 million salary for the 2009-10 season.
According to league sources, Lewis tested positive for steroids precursor DHEA and asked for a retest, as is his right under the collective bargaining agreement, ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan has learned.
Lewis did not think he was taking anything illegal, so he sat down with the Magic staff and they isolated an over-the-counter supplement he was taking that contained DHEA, banned by The National Basketball Players Association. It is frequently used to combat fatigue. Lewis had not told Magic officials he was taking it. He was randomly tested again during the finals, but the DHEA was still in his system, MacMullan reported.
The first game he could play would be Nov. 16 at home against Charlotte. He will miss Orlando's first game against Cleveland, the team the Magic upset in the Eastern Conference finals.
The Orlando Sentinel first reported the positive test Thursday.
Lewis is the sixth player to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs since the league began testing in 1999.
"I hope every athlete can learn from my mistake that supplements, no matter how innocent they seem, should only be taken after consulting an expert in the field," Lewis said in his statement.
Lewis' agent, Tony Dutt, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 29-year-old Lewis was an All-Star last season and is one of the NBA's best 3-point shooters at 6-foot-10, allowing him to play on the perimeter and the Magic to create the matchup problems that helped them beat Boston and Cleveland in the postseason.
He was hurt late in the regular season, missing the final three games with right knee tendinitis, then returned to average 19.0 points in the playoffs to help lead the Magic to the NBA finals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
It's questionable whether or not this is thread worthy, but it's annoying that so many people fall into the "OMG STEROIDS!!!" trap because David Thorpe needs a story to write.
?
That info is in the other thread.
Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis has tested positive for an elevated testosterone level and is suspended for the first 10 games of the season.
Lewis says in a statement that he took an over-the-counter supplement late last season that included a substance he did not realize was banned by the NBA.
ok?
You wouldn't think so with the amount of posters saying he used to steroids to put on 30 pounds of muscle.
Actually, it's been reported that DHEA is, in fact, a steroid.
It's just an over-the-counter variety steroid that is not illegal.
But it's still a steroid.
the Magic!
isn't dhea legal in MLB? and lewis doesn't look like he gained much from it. howard on the other hand...
Maybe lean muscle mass?
Sounds like Manny Ramirez LOL
Just another victim of BigPharma marketing that hypnotizes people into believing, reflexively, unthinkingly, that Happiness is Just A Pill Away.
Here, the people is a young man at the peak of his physical development and conditioning, but he thinks he's not complete or unbroken if he's not popping pills as dictated by BigPharma.
DHEA is a prohormone. It is a steroid but not in the sense that a lot of you are thinking. First of all not all steroids are illegal and they're not all "performance enhancing". DHEA does NOT increase strength or muscle hypertrophy. There is really nothing performance enhancing about it. If Rashard Lewis was taking it for that purpose he's an idiot. DHEA is mostly used in older adults (50+) for it's anti aging benefits. That's pretty much all it's good for. If you don't have the hormone levels of a senior citizen, your body will convert DHEA into 5-androstenediol which will cause elevated estrogen levels. That's why DHEA is more likely to hurt you than help you.
If he gained 30lbs of muscle, then he'd not be as effective at his position this season as he was last year. Fact is, it's pretty much impossible to gain 30lbs of muscle in 1 year. Let alone a few months.
Wonder who will take Lewis's spot for the first 10 games...
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