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NBA suspends 3 players for separate incidents

NEW YORK (AP)—Brandon Rush(notes) of the Indiana Pacers was suspended for five games by the NBA on Friday for violating the league’s drug agreement, while Tyreke Evans(notes) of the Sacramento Kings and Kenny Hasbrouck(notes) of the Miami Heat drew suspensions for driving offenses.

Rush was suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. He started 64 games for the Pacers last season and averaged 9.4 points.

Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement that the organization would support Rush.

“We have been made aware that Brandon Rush has been suspended for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy,” Bird said. “We will do what we can to provide Brandon help going forward.”

Evans, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, was suspended without pay for one game for pleading no contest to reckless driving in California. He averaged 20.1 points last season.

Hasbrouck, a former Siena guard, was suspended without pay for two games for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated in New York.

Rush’s suspension was the latest blow to Indiana’s attempts to clean up its image.

The Pacers released the core of their team the past several years while trying to repair a reputation damaged by the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans in 2004 and several incidents after that in which Pacers players had brushes with the law.

Most recently, second-round draft pick Lance Stephenson(notes) was arrested earlier this month in New York on assault, menacing and harassment charges. Prosecutors said he pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs, then grabbed her and hit her head on the bottom step. The Pacers have not announced how they will deal with that incident.

(Yahoo)