Maradona requested alcohol and 'tore out his own IVs' in days after surgery

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Maradona requested alcohol and 'tore out his own IVs' in days after surgery

2025-05-07 03:17 Last Updated At：03:21

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The director of the clinic where Diego Maradona had surgery two weeks before his death in 2020 testified Tuesday that the Argentine soccer star requested alcohol during the post-operative period and was difficult to deal with, which made his subsequent recovery in home care inadvisable.

Pablo Dimitroff, medical director of the Olivos Clinic, said that neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, one of the seven health professionals on trial requested “a place” so the former player could undergo surgery in early November 2020.

Maradona had surgery for a hematoma that formed between his skull and brain and stayed in intensive care at Olivos between Nov. 4-11. He then was sent recover to a private home where he died on Nov. 25 of 2020 at age 60.

The deficiencies in Maradona’s home care are one of the prosecution’s key pieces of evidence against the defendants. A cardiologist testified that he was against moving Maradona from the Olivos Clinic.

Dimitroff said the surgery was not “an emergency,” although there were indicators “that it was necessary at some point.”

The operation was performed by a neurosurgeon at that center and it was routine, according to the medical director.

After the surgery, the former player displayed a “difficult” temperament during his stay in intensive care and “did not understand that he had to stay still,” Dimitroff said. He added that on Nov. 6, Maradona had “a complex psychomotor excitation episode” that resembled alcohol withdrawal, which was what he was demanding, the manager indicated.

“We were dealing with an aggressive patient who tore out his own IVs; he was a very difficult patient to take home,” Dimitroff stated.

Dimitroff explained that he discussed the situation with Luque and Agustina Cosachov — Maradona’s psychiatrist, who is also on trial — and with the former soccer player’s family.

According to Dimitroff, both Luque and Cosachov requested sedation for Maradona which was carried out at the clinic for approximately 24 hours.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tim Hardaway Jr. scores 25 points, Aaron Gordon adds 23 and Nuggets beat Bucks 108-104

DENVER (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 25 points, Aaron Gordon had 23 and the injury-ravaged Denver Nuggets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 108-104 on Sunday night.

Peyton Watson had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets. Over his team’s past seven games, the fourth-year guard has been averaging 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Zeke Nnaji added 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Denver was without five of its top eight scorers, including Nikola Jokic (bone bruise in left knee) and Jamal Murray (sprained left ankle). The five sidelined players are averaging a combined 84.6 points per game this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Bucks. Myles Turner scored 16 points while Bobby Portis and AJ Green added 14 apiece. Ryan Rollins was held to two points, snapping a career-best streak of 37 consecutive games with at least 10 points.

Denver had lost five of eight after a 22-8 start, including a 3-4 mark since Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, went down in a Dec. 29 loss at the Miami Heat.

The Bucks trailed by 15 in the first half and by 11 entering the fourth quarter before trimming their deficit to 105-102, but missed two game-tying 3-point attempts from Rollins and Green in the final 20 seconds. Gordon, the lone regular starter available for the Nuggets, made three free throws in the final 9 seconds to seal the victory.

Entering the night, Milwaukee had been 5-2 in its past seven games after starting the season 12-19.

Nuggets: At New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Bucks: Host Minnesota on Tuesday night.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/nba