Paul George on his 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy: “I’ve said it throughout my career dealing with mental health: I’m no superhero. I’m a human. And I made a mistake at that moment.”
Imperfect P
PC P
I didn’t know you like to get wet, daaaave
RUN BITCH WAYNE BRADY GON KILL YOU
IS WAYNE BRADY GONNA HAVE TO CHOKE A 3-1 LEAD
Testing P
Perilous P
Prescription P
Prozac P
Ket Cadet George
Gallon George
Primary Care Provider…P
Percocet P
Pillpoppin P
SSRI-P
Accountability P
AP P
Partaking P
Peer Pressure P
Puff Puff P
Powdery P
Personal Use P
I’d like to know what he took for his mental health, maybe I’ll take some for mine.
Ketamine is the speculation
Is that against league rules? There are legitimate theraputic uses for Ketamine in low doses.
Is that wrong? Should I not have done that?
I tell you. I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything when I started my podcast that that sort of thing is frowned upon…
“I misinterpreted the rules”
you are a strange man, peculiar even
The NBA is likely consulting with doctors behind the Tuskegee Study.
There is a difference between being given treatment by a doctor and being treated by a guru.
Very true. My wife is an NP that works at a clinic administering it. Helps a lot of people.
I imagine if he was prescribed something, he wouldn’t have been hit by the policy
thats not really how it works. just because a doctor prescribed you steroids doesnt mean you can take them and play in the league at the same time.
the problem is these vague statements can mean anything because the league doesnt announce what he tested positive for, and they arent going to correct him if he keeps going around saying it was for mental health issues.
I think it depends on the doctor and depends on the substance. Like Desoxyn is Methamphetamine Chloride, used to treat ADHD. But the NBA might say “no, you can’t use meth, even if it was prescribed for ADHD.”
There are tons of things with legitimate therapeutic uses that are banned.
from the CBA
https://imgur.com/a/x1oDYMQ
but could be any of the opiates for the pain/injuries and then he could say he took it for his mental well being - self medicated etc
One time I got flagged for being on amphetamines (Vyvanse) after a random drug test from my old employer
Eyebrows were definitely raised
Vyvanse is a standard maintenance medicine for ADHD. NBA players can use it as long as they get a therapeutic use exception, which means an official diagnosis and documentation from their doctor.
I get what you’re saying though. I’ve always wondered what an employer would think if they saw vyvanse on a pre employment drug screening. Fortunately my employer doesn’t do drug sceenings so it was never an issue.
Respectfully I used to be on it so I know exactly what it does lol
Honestly though adderall/vyvanse can totally improve sports performance, so even if prescribed it probably gives a slight advantage. All of my best workouts have been on adderall.
It’s sorta like a long-lasting smelling salt!
I wasn’t saying you don’t know what vyvanse is. I was saying that it’s not a big deal on an NBA drug screening, players can use it as long as they’ve gone through the right process. That’s all.
What type of workouts — cardio or strength? I can see how these meds could definitely improve focus and processing, but they also increase your heart rate. I wonder if that hurts athletes who also need more high end endurance capacity.
No adderall definitely makes you feel like you can keep going. Even if your body feels weird. Either working out or like drinking you feel like you are unlimited lol
Yea but multiply that by almost everyday. Of your body going beyond its limits.
Eh, Vyvanse also increases your heart rate, can give you dry mouth, and make you sweat a lot. I’ve been on Vyvanse while exercising, I wouldn’t recommend doing anything super intense while on it
I get up at 3 to work out at 4 and get to work by 7ish literally just because I hate working out after I’ve taken my meds. I don’t understand people who enjoy it. It makes me feel like shit.
So I should get Adderall to become a basketball beast? >.>
It doesn’t improve your performance. It simply puts you back to the baseline of normal non-adhd people. If you are high then it’s misdosed. But I feel you it feels like the mind is clearer, you have more purpose. You just back to normal haha
I remember seeing a player once (non star) having an incredible playoff game once.
His eyes? Dilated like a motherfucker, could shoot hoops through his eyes lmao.
Dude was definitely on Adderall or some other stimulant, guaranteed.
if a pre-employment test flags a prescription drug, the testing organization has one of their medical staff members reach out and you get a chance to provide your prescription
For HIPPA reasons your hiring team isn’t allowed to know.
It shows as popping hot on the test then you get a call from the doctor or lab letting you know what you tested positive for and ask if you know why that happened.
You tell them you have a prescription and then read off the prescription number and maybe your doctor’s name who prescribed it and that’s about it.
Vyvanse is an amphetamine analogue, so that makes sense. You got flagged for taking amphetamines because you were taking a form of amphetamines
I know man lol
Maybe I’m totally misreading this but it almost seems like he’s saying “my body wasn’t where it needed to be” and his expectations of himself leading to the drug infraction. It makes me wonder if this is PEDs? Like his mental health was taking a toll because he either wasn’t in the form he wanted to be or couldn’t recover from injury so he resorted to something to help speed up that process?
If I’m way off I’ll certainly admit I’m wrong here
Yeah, his wording is definitely saying that it’s two separate statements.
Essentially “my poor mental health got the best of me and it led to me making a mistake and taking PEDs”
He might have meant it either way, but his wording is definitely phrased as if the thing he took wasn’t for his mental health, he’s saying that his poor decision was caused by his mental health.
If it was PEDs, we would already know by now. The fact that we don’t know and he’s not saying points us to the idea that it WASN’T PEDs. My money is on coke or ketamine.
ketamine is my guess
Ketamine is a legit treatment drug for depression, are players not allowed or did he just not get it prescribed?
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Nick Young needs to be NBPA to fix this
that’s why it’s my guess, i’ve read some of the papers about its use. afaik it’s banned by the league though
Ah, it turns out you have to apply for approval from the league of certain drugs even if you get them prescribed. Maybe PG didnt get it approved or maybe he didnt get it prescribed at all.
As far as I know, the only FDA approved form of ketamine treatment is Spravato nasal spray. I would assume any other form could get you in trouble at your employment if you test positive
EDIT: not trying to be pedantic but want to make it clear for anyone looking into ketamine treatment - quick google confirms IV and sublingual is not FDA approved. This is not an opinion on their effectiveness- those treatments would be off label and probably not covered by health insurance. Talk to your health provider if you are interested - I am doing Spravato because it’s covered and affordable.
You can get it prescribed as IV off-label for depression, nasal spray does the same thing but IV is probably more effective
My understanding is there are clinical trials. I know some first responders who are taking it legally with medical direction and it’s helping them a lot, but outside these specific clinical trials it is still illegal until there are more definitive studies complete
Prescriptions and legal status do not matter. Leagues are allowed to have their own stricter policies. When Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana, both the NBA and NFL released statements that players for teams in Colorado are still required to adhere to the leagues’ policies on drug use.
This is not limited to the NBA. Just because your doctor prescribes you an opioid for pain or a benzodiazepine for anxiety, your job is legally allowed to say you cannot be under the influence those medications while on the clock, especially if there are safety concerns.
Slightly different, but related. Simone Biles takes amphetamines for ADHD, however the country that was hosting the Olympics banned amphetamines across the board. Didn’t matter that it was a perfectly legal prescription in the US, she wasn’t allowed to bring them into the country. That was part of the reason she ended up withdrawing from the Olympics that year.
I mean, it could be as simple as steroids because his body wasn’t recovering well and it was messing with his head. Sometimes dealing with the thing causing your stress and anxiety is better than trying to take something that is specific to stress and anxiety.
You should talk to a doctor.
I was assuming it was cocaine. Why would he talk about being weak if it really was some sort of legit treatment? Plus the NBA is definitely not taking any sort of “mental health” excuse for something like cocaine.
Respect for taking accountability and not playing it off
Yep. as a major pro cycling fan I have seen the wildest excuses for why they were caught. Not sure who else, but a while back there was another NBA player caught and he also owned it up.
My favorite was in tennis last year, the world #1 had his trainer get a prescription for a banned drug so he could claim the trainer gave him a massage while wearing gloves with a hole in them and it transferred to his bloodstream from a cut on his leg. Everyone moved on like it was nothing
Tennis fans are incredibly naive when it comes to PEDs
I’m sure some MMA cardio monsters stopped by and said “Hey”
you mean to tell me Brock Lesnar isn’t just a jacked white boy?
I never see NBA fans discuss it ever and washed Wayoff P of the biggest name that’s ever been caught as the financial incentives continue to skyrocket. Sports fans in general are all naive.
I like Jannik, even though that situation has soured me a bit, but the bullshit part was allowing him to negotiate the timing of the suspension so that wouldn’t miss any Slams. It felt very appropriate watching Carlos outlast him in the final.
Yeah such bs. But ofc its covered up its like if wemby was exposed to be PEDing the NBA would hide ts as quick as possible
Because tennis has a suspect policy.
I just wish one of these dudes would say: it’s my body, I wanted to get high so I took drugs, and I’m not going to be scolded about it by a cabal of 70-year-old billionaires who have done truly immoral shit that I’d never do.
Assuming that its the truth. Like the NBA won’t release what he popped for.
Everyone claims to care about mental health but will be making jokes in here
It’s fun to virtue signal when it’s somebody we like that’s struggling, but let it be somebody like Paul George or Ben Simmons and all of a sudden we letting the jokes fly and saying silly shit like “but you’re rich though???”. Your grace doesn’t mean shit if you only apply it to certain people.
/r/nba will have a heel turn if the NBA ever has a Rondale Moore situation, or maybe not depending on the player seeing how they talk about some players.
literally everything on reddit has turned into a virtue signal jerk off, or clear rage bait designed to farm engagement
Comparing PG to Simmons is crazy disrespectful to PG.
He was a great player who has struggled with injuries. He still wants to play.
The problem is how easily “mental health” can be used as an excuse and sadly trivialized
Like, Paul George saying “mental health” here sounds like he’s just trying to quickly draw up sympathy and excuse it away rather than be accountable
It’s complicated because someone who cheats clearly has a mental health issue, but saying “mental health” also isn’t a get out of jail free card for bad behavior. Ultimately it remains to be seen if George is forthright or not
I didn’t get that vibe at all from listening to him speak here, and I think this assumption that these guys are just using mental health as an excuse is a big part of the problem. Like you saying it “remains to be seen” whether he’s forthright or not, as if we the public are the ones who get to decide if his issues are legit or not.
Because he’s saying the poor decision making to take steroids was the result of his mental health.
He’s implied that it was PEDs not recreational. But we’re not talking a vulnerable teenager.
If that’s the case, then it’s kinda fucked up he’s blaming it on mental health.
gilbert arenas said it best. if he can inject something to make him jump 45 inches his mental would probably feel pretty good
https://youtube.com/shorts/jm0lIbGFDnM?si=sbdSqMy6EOANZoIp
You’re damn right.. toxic fandom is not going away anytime soon.
Just cause these dudes are rich, doesn’t make their minds iron clad. They’re battling like everyone else, and usually even more just Being in the spotlight
Laughter is the best medicine.
mental health is not a reason to take steroids, HGH, test, or other PEDs lmfao
Because it’s an interesting contrast between him being a podcaster and a baller, splitting his focuses and not committing, and then him saying he has mental health issues. It’s like when I stay up late and then claim I’m tired all the time. Nobody’s denying it. Just curious as to why he decided to turn to illegal PEDs instead of just idk putting the work in. Tatum did it. Hali’s doing it. Kyrie’s doing it. If it’s about injuries, then man, say it. We have cutting edge medical science. The docs can help you. If it’s about drive, and you don’t care about the game anymore since you already made your generational wealth, then say it. We can replace you with someone who cares.
But people shout “mental health” as if it excuses all behavior, and it just doesn’t. It doesn’t get him off the hook. It actually points more to how he needs to manage his health and professional basketball career better, just like what everyone has been joking about for years.
Wel that’s because these guys reach for that card always ( Ja) and while PG may be genuine, many are
Because people always resort to ‘mental health’ reasons when it comes to getting in trouble or breaking the law.
Everyone? I see a lot of people being pretty respectful
What makes you think the two things are mutually exclusive?
Personal responsibility P
Ive been at the end of my rope and Im so fucking ready to off myself, just too afraid to pull the trigger.
So I choose to believe people who speak of their struggle. People do stupid shit when not in their right mind. Hope he’s doing better
Love you man, you will have better days ahead!
Considering I’ll be homeless by the end of the month, nah there is absolutely not better days ahead
Well I love you and will pray things get better. I also have been in some dark places myself, it might be hard to see now but things will get better.
Keep your head up brodie. I was homeless for a minute and it can get better. You gotta take it one day at a time, have a vision, and dont give up. Try to find a shelter to stay off the streets and work with the local programs to get you back on your feet. God loves you and puts obsiticuls in your way to overc9me and have a better life. Don’t give up bro it will get better.
Good advice except for the part where you forced your fictional religious beliefs on him.
I’m rooting for you man. My sister attempted suicide when we were in middle school and 20 years later I still think about that day, and I’m so glad she’s still here. She’s now happily married.
The immediate future may seem grim but there’s life beyond that. Take it one day at a time, spend all your time at the public library and feed your brain. Self help books really do wonders and are second to therapy imo.
We may not know you in the nba sub but we are your community if you’re looking for one
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“at this point”. You won’t always be at this point. When you find yourself in that dark tunnel, keep going. I know what it’s like to grope your way in the darkness but sure enough I eventually found myself in the light again. And you will too.
i’m curious—do you live in an area with an especially high cost of living? do you consider relocating if so? or have expensive and unavoidable bills outside of rent/food/gas? kids? i’m far from wealthy, but in the town i live, an hourly full time job is enough to pay rent and get by, especially if you’re down to split rent with a roommate. i found my first roommate in this current town on facebook marketplace (didn’t know anyone at all at the time—moved with next to no plan) and we ended up becoming pretty good friends. not that that always happens, but it’s an option that can work out well. again though, i’m curious if you live in a super expensive area or something. i’ve lived in enough different places in the US (if you live in another country, i have less knowledge) to believe there must be a location and situation out there that would be more sustainable for you than whatever is currently going on.
on a deeper level, you say you see no point in life if you cant afford the bare minimum. by what standard are you drawing this mental line about what the minimum is? there are people in serious poverty or homelessness all over the world who find meaning, purpose, and even joy within that experience. i’d challenge you to consider, thoughtfully, what the difference is between someone like that and your current mindset.
I understand, and I empathize with you. Your emotions are real.
All of these people replying to your comment and other comments in a similar vain care about you. I’d say you meet the bare minimum of what makes you human and/or having a life worth living. Don’t let your mind play tricks on you and tell you otherwise.
PG ketamine
K-Po P
Shout out to the noname profile pic im excited for her new project coming out
Pg weed
I’ll still be his fan for life
Sorry I’m the biggest hater so was perfect when he paired with my other mortal enemy embid. I’m French so you know we already hate our own as it is
Would love to hear your feelings on Pogba
Still my favorite jumper of all time
Perc P
Wasn’t it Ketamine?
Yeah but that’s not funny
Incorrect. It was weed.
What did he take???
I heard ketamine therapy which is popular as a depression and anxiety treatment
I thought ketamine couldn’t be detected in piss ? Did they look at his hair or what
By “I heard” the guy above you probably means he read someone else’s made up Reddit comment lol
Yeah, hearing his statement again, “i made a mistake at that moment” sounds more like a silly decision at a party than undergoing therapy
It can be detected in urine up to 2 weeks after day of treatment.
Weed.
The NBA doesn’t give a fuck about marijuana. They stopped testing/suspending for it years ago
I feel like if the rumors are true and it was a recreational drug, 25 games is a bit absurd.
I know they have no way of telling if it was on the job or not, but the fact that he’s allowed to play at all leads me to believe that he wasn’t ripping lines of K on the sidelines or anything and I genuinely could not care less about what these guys do in their spare time.
Anyways, we should be able to do a little Ketamine at work.
The NBA has had players and former players killed by recreational drugs. Preventing recreational drugs is arguably more important for the league than preventing PEDs.
PEDs harm the integrity of the sport, I’m not going to sit here and pretend like dudes arent using them but thats why the league cracks down on them.
Players dying from recreational drugs is sad. I also believe that they are adults who can make their own decisions and an adult using recreational drugs on their own time, knowing the consequences, is not something I give a shit about or care if the league does anything about it.
Also lets not act like its about player safety, its about protecting the brand. By the numbers drinking is far more harmful to society than THC use, but the league didn’t stop drug testing for THC until very recently when public perception had changed.
Don’t fall back on mental health for your PED’s. Just admit it, apologize and move on
Lol you’ll get crucified in this thread for this extremely rational take
Well he’s wrong about it being a PED suspension so yeah the idiot who can’t use google will get crucified
Can you provide your source on this?
It doesn’t appear that there is any credible reporting what Paul George was suspended for taking, and it looks exactly like John Collins 25 game PED suspension in 2021.
I’d like to have this conversation after we know what he took. I live in Philly. It could be a lot of things. If the dude was knocking down percs or taking some pressies he thought were something else, that’s a bit irresponsible. If he was dabbling in some K with the hippies, maybe. If he was straight up taking steroids, also a different story.
The steroids is the only one I would have a problem with. Percs and/or ketamine isn’t gonna help you perform better.
I feel like we should get do-over with that signing then cause who would want a 35-yr-old who is not on steroids that seems very irresponsible
PR P
Nah, platelet rich plasma is an approved treatment for players
I’ve always found “being human” a very poor excuse in general. Look there are plenty of other humans that do not violate the policy.
It’s a pretty good excuse when the action you took only realistically impacts you and your own personal health. He wasn’t drunk driving, he took an unapproved drug.
Miserable take. I hope you have people in your life that will accept your apology when (not if) you make a mistake.
Everyone makes mistakes including you.
Mental health is an excuse drilled to the ground since 2016.
Tired of this guy’s shit
Tons of virtue signaling apologists are biting on the Ketamine rumor despite there being ZERO actual evidence supporting that.
He’s washed. He took PEDs and is blaming “mental health” because he is depressed that he’s washed and never won a ring.
Get the fuck out of here with all these soft as baby shit excuses for this grown ass man. If he was taking ketamine for depression he would come out and say it, look at how you’re all reacting. This is exactly why he’s using the “mental health” angle instead of just saying he got caught doping.
Notice he NEVER says the medication was treatment for his mental health.
That’s fair.
Not to his teammates or the organisation but man, if I’m being honest, I get it.
Having grown up back in the day, players nowadays get scrutinised to the nth degree with nonstop access to social media and current ESPN culture. If I were famous, I’d be such a shitheel.
But also, I think - I think - I’d have a team of people around me to make sure I don’t do stupid things like I do now as a bar manager without a team of people catering to me.
Having said that, I think having a team around me would wear thin and I’d say fuck it and smoke a bowl.
NBA doesn’t test for weed anymore, as I understand it. PG wasn’t popped for smoking a bowl fwiw
Thanks for that, I didn’t know that. Respectfully, that’s not my point.
What I’m trying to say is that I can’t fathom the scrutiny those guys go through.
But at the same time, given the number of NBA players out there, was he sloppy or not paying attention to testing? I’m not trying to ask a question in that “just asking questions” tone that numbnuts online do all of the time.
And as I write that, I find the irony in how I’m talking about the glut of critics out there and here I am, a dude drinking after work at home, getting all critical about shit.
I guess for me, if PG really cared about his mental health so much that he took an unapproved drug, he should probably step away from playing basketball
Saying “I took it for my mental health” while technically cheating is kind of lame imo
If you mention mental health, you are absolved of all your sins.
Penitent P
Mental health is obviously important. Letting down a franchise and basically saying “whoopsie” I have issues is ridiculous. Not buying he has issues so I got to do some Drugs is acceptable.
Don’t necessarily buy the whole ketamine theory either. It’s sort of the new way to name a drug and get a pass. If it truly was K he’d just cop to it and we’d sort of be okay with it. If it wasn’t he gets a “pass” allowing the speculation and as long as he doesn’t come out saying untruths the league and PA won’t leak what it was.
Mental health has become a shield now. Did drugs… mental health. Broke the law… mental health. Cheating on your wife… mental health.
Your “mental health” is you. You are your brain. Your brain didn’t do this. You did.
This may not be a popular take:
Paul George snapped his leg on national television while wearing the team USA jersey.
I’ll always remember that moment vividly. Despite his quirky personality, if this was any other country, I think the response from the media and the public, and the league - to his honesty over his mental health and his body not being right wouldn’t be ridicule.
I can’t imagine going toe to toe with LeBron in the Eastern conference finals, being considered the hottest up and coming talent and having that shatter mentally and physically over a practice game.
If the drug violation is due to a prescription medication, the league should be ashamed.
What did he really take? Was it steroids or was it ketamine?
I thought the rumor was ketamine.
He should have claimed it was hand cream oe tainted meat
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“I’m no superhero. I’m a podcaster.”
As B Hen said “I took the yerks on accident”
Philly winters are depressing. I don’t blame homey if he needed something to put him in a better mood
Psychedelic P
No PT tonight
Just calling it mental health is a bit odd. Was his mental health low? High?
he did nothing wrong
Is he not allowed to take ketamine even if prescribed by a doctor ?
Introspection P
Ummm okay pg
Hope he’s well, will always be a fan
Performance Enhancing P
Complete bullshit what drugs are deemed legal vs illegal, its all made up. If the substance he uses is not performance enhancing who cares what he does in his free time if he shows up to work and gets the job done sober.
Prob the most talented player that I’d never want on my team.
More time for podcasting 😂
Glad he and I are on the same page finally about him not being a superhero
people will read him saying the words “mental health” and try to say hes using it as an out but hes actually owning this, i respect him for this
Do we know what he got popped for?
Respect the accountability… it’s whatever to me. Pro athletes in every sport are getting an edge. I’m not shocked a dude who is battling for nearly a decade to stay healthy is doing it too.
It’s whatever to me
I completely forgot he was even suspended
If it was ketamine this is a stupid suspension
Commented on it before when it happened but he took responsibility for it. You can joke about it all we want but he owns it so I’m not going to clown on him for that
I mean this is what you got to do man, you got to throw yourself at the mercy of the public and take your beating.
So is it a proven fact that the drug/s he abused were prescription meds? Is it possible he ate a weed gummy or puffed on a joint?
Yes Paul, we definitely know you’re not a superhero.
If not PEDs, the NBA should get off its high horse
The greatest enemy to society: Paul Clifton Anthony George
It’s crazy drug tests have never caught someone intentionally using banned drugs, it only ever gets people that did it by accident. Makes you wonder.
‘Pologetic P
and whoever the philly GM is made a mistake by giving u that contract
The league would never suspend a player for taking mental health medication. The backlash would be horrible.
If I had to guess he took testosterone. Obviously used as a PED, but he could try to tell the league it was for a mental health issue. He had his 2 best games of the season right before he tested positive