Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters recently had a seizure, which was reported to be due to an ingestion of THC-infused gummies, during the team’s flight to Los Angeles.
A new report indicates that while the organization believes a teammate provided Waiters with the gummies, the veteran guard has veered away from naming anyone involved.
Waiters first passed out just after the team had arrived in Los Angeles, with the seizure then taking place after he awoke. In the wake of the controversy over his seizure, Waiters was suspended on Sunday by the Heat for 10 games. That’s his second suspension of the season after being banished for the Oct. 23 opener.
The reasons for Waiters declining to name a teammate are unknown. Waiters may be conflicted on the issue, since informing on any teammate to management is something that would undoubtedly damage his current relationships with Heat players.
For much of the past year, the Heat have been seeking to trade Waiters, but have found no one willing to take on the remaining two seasons of the four-year contract he signed in 2017. Prior to either of the suspensions, Waiters was scheduled to earn $12.1 million this season and $12.65 million for the 2020-21 campaign.
While the Heat are currently saddled with paying those salaries, they won’t have to pay the $1.15 million bonus that Waiters could have earned this season. That would have kicked in if he had played in 70 regular season games, but since he’s yet to take the court, this new suspension makes reaching that threshold impossible.