Australian Olympic hockey player Tom Craig has been arrested in Paris for buying cocaine, Reuters reported. He has been released by police and has apologized to his family and teammates.
Australian Olympic hockey player Tom Craig (Centre) takes part in the Paris Olympics.
Craig, a 28-year-old who helped his team win a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, has represented the national team in more than 100 games, the report said. Australia’s men’s hockey team was knocked out of the quarter-finals by the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics Thursday. According to French prosecutors, Craig was caught buying drugs between the night of August 6 and the early hours of August 7. He was in possession of a gram of cocaine when he was arrested.
Craig, who is reported to have been released, said as he left the police station, “I would first like to apologize for the events of the past 24 hours. I made a terrible mistake. I take full responsibility for my actions. This is my personal conduct and in no way reflects the values of my family, my teammates, my friends, my sport and the Australian Olympic team. I have disgraced you all. I’m really sorry.”
The Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement that Craig had not been convicted but had been warned by French law enforcement. Anna Mills, head of the Australian delegation, said in a statement, “I can’t forgive Tom for what he did. He is a good man, but he has made a wrong decision. He will bear the consequences of such a decision. As a result, Tom will lose all remaining Olympic privileges. He’s moved out of the village and I know he’s not going to the closing ceremony. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t attend.”