Torgoglu.
CHICAGO -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu will be suspended for 20 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The 34-year old Turkoglu tested positive for methenolone, an anabolic steroid. He is the eighth NBA player suspended for the use of performance enhancing drugs under the NBA's drug testing policy. He will begin serving his suspension today when the Orlando Magic hosts the Charlotte Bobcats.
A 12-year veteran, the 6-foot-10, 220-pound Turkoglu has played only 11 games this season, averaging career lows of 2.9 points. 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists an outing. Hedo missed the last 10 games of the regular season last year with a fractured bone above his eye and he missed the first 28 games this season with a broken hand.
Turkoglu said he took medication from a trainer in Turkey without checking if it was in the NBA's banned list. He took full responsibility for his actions and apologized to the Magic organization, his teammates and his fans.
"It's been really a nightmare. It wasn't really a good year for me. Now, I'm facing this. As a player, you face a lot of injuries. It comes and goes. But this kind of situation, you don't want to put yourself in. This is the worst one I'm dealing with now," he told the Associated Press. (HDS)
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