Celtics Defend Lewis

The Boston Celtics denounced as “racist” and “gutless” a Wall Street Journal story suggesting that cocaine played a role in Reggie Lewis’ death, and even produced his widow to say he never used drugs.

The article published Thursday said the Celtics, Lewis’ family, some doctors and lawyers sidestepped the possibility that cocaine contributed to his heart problems and thus failed to prevent his death in 1993. It also said that the team could have been hurt financially if Lewis had been found to have used drugs.

Celtics chairman Paul Gaston denied that the Celtics gave Lewis anything but the best medical care and said the team would sue reporter Ron Suskind, the paper and its parent company, Dow Jones & Co., for $100 million.

Any proceeds from the lawsuit would go to a charitable foundation established in Lewis’ name that helps disadvantaged families in the city where he is revered as a hero, Gaston said.

The article quoted several doctors who doubted the official autopsy finding that a virus that can cause the common cold led to the heart damage that eventually killed him.

The doctors said Lewis’ condition pointed to cocaine use.

“Reggie did not use drugs. Period,” his tearful widow, Donna Harris-Lewis, said at the news conference in the Celtics’ offices. “He was a model citizen. He was kind and caring and this is the way I’ll remember him. And I encourage everybody to do the same.”

Paul E. Steiger, the Journal’s managing editor, stood by the story.

Questions from the Journal prompted the state’s Office of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner, to re-examine Lewis’ file several weeks ago. The investigation found there was no reason to doubt the cause of death that was listed, according to a statement issued from the office.