Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov issued a statement to a Russian news outlet denying that he used cocaine after a video of him was posted to Twitter Monday.
A Twitter user with the handle @Thesavspb tweeted a video featuring Kuznetsov sitting next to a table with lines of white powder and American dollar bills. He does not use the cocaine in the video in question.
The user has since deleted the tweet, but the Capitals blog Russian Machine Never Breaks saved the video and translated Kuznetsov’s statement to the media outlet Sport Express.
Kuznetsov said the video was taken last summer in Las Vegas after the Capitals won the Stanley Cup.
“I don’t necessarily have anything to do with what is going on around me,” the statement reads in part. “I never used drugs and have no intention to get into it. If there are any questions, I am ready to undergo testing.
“I just came by the room where some people I knew stayed. When I saw what was going on there – unfamiliar women, unknown substances on the table – I called my friend and left as soon as I could.”
Kuznetsov added that he had nothing to hide and he’d “let this be on the conscience of whoever posted the video.”
A Capitals spokesperson gave this statement on the matter Monday afternoon:
“We are aware of the video that surfaced on social media of Evgeny Kuznetsov. We are currently in the process of gathering facts and will have no further comment at this time.”
Kuznetsov and Capitals teammates Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov just finished playing for Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships, where Russia won the bronze medal.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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