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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland Trail Blazers president and
general manager admits Ruben Patterson's criminal past is a concern
for the team.
"Clearly, it was an issue and it still is an issue, so it's
something we take very, very seriously," Bob Whitsitt said Tuesday
on KXL-AM, the Blazers' flagship radio station. "We're very
concerned with some of the issues off the court."
Portland signed Patterson, a restricted free agent, to an offer
sheet on Monday. The 6-foot-5, 224-pound small forward was the
Seattle SuperSonics' third-leading scorer last season, but the team
has said it will not match the Blazers' offer.
The Blazers likely will use their mid level salary-cap exception
of $4.5 million on Patterson.
Patterson, 26, was accused of forcing his children's 24-year-old
nanny of performing oral sex on him last year. He entered a
modified guilty plea in May to attempted rape and was sentenced to
a year in jail, all but 15 days suspended. He recently served that
sentence in home detention in Cleveland.
Patterson will miss the first five games of next season while
serving a league suspension imposed following his conviction. He
also must register as a sex offender with police after he moves to
Oregon.
Patterson was suspended for three games in February after he was
convicted of breaking a man's jaw in Cleveland last summer.
Patterson thought the man had scratched his car outside a
nightclub. Patterson was sentenced to probation for the
misdemeanor.
Whitsitt said Patterson is trying to get on with his life, and
that people who have worked with him praised his character.
"We spent a great deal of time talking to a lot of people who
have coached Ruben, that have known him for a long time, that have
played with him," Whitsitt said.
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