Johnson Gets Backing of Clipper Boss

Clipper President Alan Rothenberg issued a statement Sunday supporting Marques Johnson, after a story in Saturday’s Times reported that the Milwaukee Bucks did not inform the Clippers that Johnson had undergone treatment at a drug rehabilitation center 14 months before he was traded.

Rothenberg’s statement read:

“Marques Johnson is an All-Star both as a player and as a human being. Despite his injuries this season, he has been our hardest-working player, a leader both on and off the court. He has dealt with the past (drug problems) responsibly and maturely. We are satisfied that those problems are behind him. We support Marques 1,000% and we believe the fans of Los Angeles do, too.”

Johnson was hospitalized at St. Mary’s Drug Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis in July, 1983. Rothenberg said in Saturday’s story that if the Bucks had told him about Johnson’s stay at St. Mary’s, he would have “looked at the trade very carefully before completing it.”

Rothenberg’s statement Sunday, however, made no mention of the trade or whether the Clippers will try to seek compensation.