Caps' Evgeny Kuznetsov Apologizes for Video Featuring White Powder
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov released a statement on Friday to apologize for being seen in a video on Twitter that featured white powder on a table.
"I would like to address the video of me that appeared online on Monday," he said. "While I have never taken illegal drugs in my life and career, I would like to publicly apologize to the Capitals, my teammates, our fans and everyone else, for putting myself in a bad situation. This was a hard lesson for me to learn."
On Monday, Kuznetsov denied using cocaine after the Twitter video appeared and showed him near a table with two lines of white powder. He explained that the video was taken during the summer of 2018 when Washington won the Stanley Cup. He went to meet with some friends and showed up to see people that he did not know and "strange substances on the table" and later left.
The Capitals and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Monday they would look into the matter. Washington also released a statement on Friday saying it accepts Kuznetsov's apology and explanation for showing up in the video.
"In addition to doing our own due diligence, we met with Evgeny to discuss the video circulated on social media," the team said. "While we are disappointed by his presence in the video, we accept his explanation and apology for putting himself in an unfortunate situation. Evgeny has been a terrific player and an active member of our community, and we expect him to learn from this experience and uphold both the standards the organization has for him as well as his own."
Kuznetsov scored 21 goals in 76 games in 2018–19. The Capitals finished the regular season at 48-26-8, but fell to Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs.