Dion Waiters Discusses Airplane Gummy Incident in Latest Column for The Players' Tribune

Back in November, Dion Waiters famously passed out on the Miami Heat's team fight after an overdose following the reported consumption of an edible marijuana gummy. The 28-year-old was subsequently suspended 10 games, and the incident ultimately led to the end of his four-year tenure in Miami.

After months of reckoning with the his self-inflicted nose-dive, Waiters broke his silence in a moving piece for The Players' Tribune on Monday.

"The plane incident in Miami? It’s on me," Waiters wrote. "I own that. It was idiotic on my behalf — point-blank, period. What’s crazy is, my whole life I been a leader. I’m not a follower. Pat knows me. He knows I don’t do drugs. But sometimes when you’re going through dark times, you can fall trap to things you’d never do in your right mind."

Waiters also asserted that he never had a seizure, and blasted the media for leaking such a sensitive detail that likely mortified his family.

Though he and the Heat went through an ugly breakup, the former Syracuse star didn't hesitate to acknowledge his respect for team president Pat Riley.

"I still got love for Pat," Waiters added. "Let’s put that on the record. Still got love for Pat, still got all the respect in the world for Micky Arison. When it was good it was good, you know? But even before this season, we knew it was over."

In truly captivating read, Waiters also touched on his mental health and the tragedies he was forced to endure as a child. There's no denying that the former No. 4 overall pick deserved to be berated for the gummy incident, but this piece proves that things might have been blown out of proportion.