Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups , who was arrested by federal agents Thursday for allegedly laundering money and committing wire fraud conspiracy as part of a yearslong poker scheme, has finally addressed the matter publicly.

Chris Heywood, Billups attorney, said the former Hall of Fame player “is a man of integrity” and planned to “fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career,” in a statement released to The Oregonian/OregonLive early Thursday evening.

“Chauncey Billups has never backed down,” Heywood said. “He does not plan to do so now.”

The statement came a few hours after Billups was arraigned in federal court in downtown Portland, where he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo.

Heywood spoke on Billups’ behalf a

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