Michael Jordan has admitted publicly for the first time that the $57,000 check he gave a North Carolina man was to pay off gambling debts, a newspaper reported today.
"I lost it gambling," Jordan told the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's all there is to it. And that's what I'm going to say in court. I'm going to tell the truth."Jordan lost the money playing poker, dice and golf in October 1991 while his Chicago Bulls teammates were visiting the White House, receiving congratulations from President Bush for winning their first NBA title, the Sun-Times reported.
Jordan has been subpoenaed to testify in the trial of convicted cocaine dealer James "Slim" Bouler. The trial is scheduled to start Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, N.C.
Jordan and Bouler had said the money was a loan to help Bouler build a golf driving range. Court documents filed by U.S. Attorney Tom Ashcraft say it was a payoff for a golf gambling debt.
Bouler has pleaded not guilty to 12 federal charges accusing him of laundering drug money for the Charlotte cocaine ring led by James Edward "Ned" Johnson. Johnson is serving a 20-year sentence and is cooperating with prosecutors.
Jordan said he kept referring to the money as a loan because "I was caught off guard by the question and I was too ashamed of what I had done. But when I realized my mistake and discovered the background of the people I had been with, I told the truth and offered a public apology."
Jordan said he told the NBA and federal authorities at a meeting this past March that the checks were for gambling debts. In a news conference March 31, he refused to say what he had told the league and federal officials but did offer a public apology for what he called "the biggest and most embarrassing mistake of my life."
Jordan is not under criminal investigation. The National Basketball Association warned him earlier this year to be more careful about his associations.