July 7, 2003

Blazers President Steve Patterson addressed local media today to address the recent arrest of Blazers Guard Damon Stoudamire.

Stoudamire was searched before boarding a flight at Tucson International Airport last Thursday and arrested for drug possession. Stoudamire faces misdemeanor charges because he was caught with less than two pounds.  Airport screeners say he was carrying a little more than an ounce of marijuana - exactly 39.6 grams.

The Blazers have fined Stoudamire $250,000 and are trying to enter him into a rehabilitation program. Patterson told the media, "When I accepted this job I said I would bring back community pride to this franchise and this action is a contradiction to our mission and cannot be tolerated."

"This is the third incident in the past year and that is is why we are fining him $250,000 and suspending him from the team until this behavior changes. We are committed to changing this behavior."

"There are guidelines in place at the league level and with the players union concerning marijuana use. I have talked with the union and Damon's representatives and we're working to get him into a satisfactory rehabilitation program," Patterson said.

"We are exploring contract issues but we don't have anything together yet. I thought it was important to come and meet with you today," Patterson stated.

When asked if the team would terminate Stoudamire's contract, Patterson replied, "If I could terminate the contract for this conduct, you can bet I would."

"A lot of thought went into the fine. Previously, the highest fine this franchise had given was $100,000 and that was for a single incident. Since this act is detrimental to our franchise and it's a matter of three incidents in the past year we determined a fine of $250,000 would be fitting.

Patterson concluded the discussion by answering a question about how Paul Allen feels about the situation. "I have conversed with Paul Allen and Coach Cheeks and we have complete unity on this decision. Paul made it clear that players have to be accountable for their actions and the affect it has on the organization and community."  

To hear Patterson's statement, tune into Courtside Monday Night on KXL radio at 6:00pm tonight.