{"id":1018906,"date":"2026-08-23T10:57:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T10:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1018906\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T10:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T10:57:41","slug":"darryl-strawberry-backs-nick-kyrgios-amid-cocaine-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1018906\/","title":{"rendered":"Darryl Strawberry backs Nick Kyrgios amid cocaine suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Darryl Strawberry has a succinct message for anyone trying to dunk on Nick Kyrgios<\/a>\u2018 suspension for cocaine: Back off.<\/p>\n

The former Mets star, who is now a pastor counseling others through drug recovery, spoke to TMZ<\/a> about the tennis star\u2019s recent suspension.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s truly unfair when people punish people, especially athletes, that have substance abuse problems,\u201d Strawberry said. \u201cI had it for a very long time and I received the same kind of treatment from the public. A lot of times we don\u2019t understand what a person is going through emotionally, mentally, inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSubstance abuse is just something to escape from. You can be great as an athlete and have all the talent you want, but at the same time, when you\u2019re broken on the inside, you need to be healed on the inside. And that\u2019s all it is really for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Kyrgios of Australia in action during his first-round singles match against Moutet of France at the ATP Tour in Stuttgart, Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. dpa\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Strawberry was suspended three times during his 17-year MLB career for substance abuse, including cocaine, leading many to speculate how his career might have played out had he stayed clean.<\/p>\n

Now an author of a book detailing his recovery and journey as a pastor, Strawberry is speaking up to give grace he sometimes didn\u2019t receive as a player.<\/p>\n

New York Mets legend Darryl Strawberry looks on during a 40th anniversary 1986 World Series Reunion and Celebration ceremony before a game against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in New York City. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in recovery a long time. I\u2019m a minister of the gospel now,\u201d Strawberry said. \u201cYou know, people have written me off. We\u2019re not God and we shouldn\u2019t play that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyrgios, 31, was provisionally suspended Wednesday after testing positive for cocaine<\/a>. He faces a suspension of up to four years depending on whether or not he used during competition.<\/p>\n

Darryl Strawberry at the Harold & Carole Pump Foundation Celebrity Dinner on Thursday, August 20, 2026. John Salangsang\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The Aussie tennis star has been in a career spiral as injuries have piled up in recent years. Once a Wimbledon finalist in 2022, Kyrgios was playing in just his eighth tournament since the start of 2023 when he was met with the failed test.<\/p>\n

Ranked 919th in the world after peaking at No. 13, Kyrgios said his recent injuries and performance have left him feeling \u201chelpless and alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s Nick Kyrgios celebrates after his match against Belarus\u2019 Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally,\u201d Kyrgios wrote in his Instagram story<\/a> after the suspension. \u201cMy body hasn\u2019t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strawberry knows that feeling all too well, as his Yankees tenure to end his career was plagued by cancer and other injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just needs time,\u201d Strawberry said of what Kyrgios needs right now. \u201cHe just needs people to love him through the process. And that\u2019s what it was for me, having people love me through the process and help me through the process. We all need help. You know, we all fall short.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Darryl Strawberry has a succinct message for anyone trying to dunk on Nick Kyrgios\u2018 suspension for cocaine: Back…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1018907,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[48],"tags":[79726,33964,6532,62,1464,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-1018906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-cocaine","tag-darryl-strawberry","tag-nick-kyrgios","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117144469240707557","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1018906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1018907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1018906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1018906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1018906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}