Complex sentence: Because Anthony's suspension was longer than 12 games, he was eligible to appeal to an arbitrator; however, Anthony eventually announced he would not attempt one, saying he did not "want to be a further distraction".
Split into simpler sentences: Because Anthony's suspension was longer than 12 games, he was eligible to appeal to an arbitrator. However, Anthony eventually announced he would not attempt one, saying he did not "want to be a further distraction".