76ers forward Arnett Moultrie suspended five games for violating drug policy

Arnett Moultrie has appeared in just 12 games for the Sixers this season. (Jesse D. Garrabant/National Basketball/Getty Images)

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Arnett Moultrie has been suspended five games for violating the NBA's drug policy, the league announced on Monday. Moultrie was sent down to the D-League's Delaware 87ers earlier this month after failing to gain significant playing time in Philadelphia. Sixers coach Brett Brown told Delaware's News Journal that he hoped Moultrie would benefit from the extended minutes.

"It's not really a fitness issue entirely. It's a tiny bit that, but I'd say that about anybody. … He's a young player, he was a first-round draft pick, he needs to play, and if it's not happening here, it's got to happen somewhere else, and that's why we're so lucky to have our D-League team 40 minutes down the road."

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While the league has not stated what substance triggered Moultrie's positive test, league policy calls for an automatic five-game suspension for a player who tests positive for marijuana three times, while performance-enhancing drugs trigger a 20-game suspension.