Cedi Osman breaks his silence! 'I did not refuse the national jersey'

National player Cedi Osman, who plays for the NBA team San Antonio Spurs, shared a post on his Twitter account regarding the statements made by TBF President Hidayet Türkoğlu.

Here are Cedi Osman's statements;

"In these days when the world is being tested by much more important issues and suffering, I would not have wanted to occupy you with a personal matter. I am deeply saddened that the National Team, whose jersey I have carried with pride throughout my life, has become a subject of controversy. That is precisely why I believe the facts should be known.

To date, I have worn the national jersey 178 times across all categories. Regardless of what has happened, I have always strived to do my best whenever called upon.

I have been playing basketball at the highest level for 10 years, including the last 6 seasons in the NBA. This year, I began to realize that the mental and physical fatigue of these years was starting to affect my health. On June 2, 2023, in order not to inconvenience anyone, I met with federation officials before the national team squad was announced and requested permission to miss this year's FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.

I stated that I wanted to spend this period resting and rehabilitating. Our federation president Hidayet Türkoğlu and our national team officials were also present at the meeting. They approached the matter positively, gave their approval, and even stated that they wanted to protect me against any negative perception that might arise.

I did not refuse the national jersey. There is no jersey more valuable to me than the one with the Crescent and Star, but I will not allow anyone to throw me to the public. I want you to know that I never accept the accusations made against me and that I will continue to tell the truth."

What did Hidayet Türkoğlu say?

TBF President Hidayet Türkoğlu, who stated that Cedi Osman did not want to join the national team, had said, "Cedi Osman met with us and our team in the summer. He said he did not want to play for the national team. We cannot force anyone to come to the national team against their will or reluctantly. You should ask this question to Cedi or the other friends more than us. They know why they do not want to play for the national team when they have no injuries. Our responsibility is to determine the best 12 people. Both the absence of our 2 naturalized friends and Cedi has left us lacking in terms of the squad, but opportunities have arisen for new young friends."