Why Josh Howard's Marijuana Confession Makes Him a Good Role Model

Senior Writer Written on April 28, 2008

Last Friday, Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks admitted on Michael Irvin's radio show to smoking pot during the NBA off-season.

Seconds later, the relevant parties were notified and the story was the top headline on ESPN.com.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban said the team would deal with the issue internally. Head coach Avery Johnson expressed that Howard's comments demonstrated "poor judgement and poor timing." Sources close to ESPN pointed out that while Howard would most likely not be suspended for his remarks, that he would probably be required to enter into the NBA's marijuana program—which includes more frequent drug testing and counseling during the off-season.

Josh Howard, meanwhile, went out to play some Friday night hoops in front of a raucous Dallas crowd. With a little help from the refs, the Mavs managed to win their first (and likely only) victory in their series against Chris Paul and the deadly Hornets.

Apparently the win caused Howard to reflect upon the mess he created, as yesterday he released this statement on his website:

"I recently talked about a controversial topic with members of the media. I used poor judgment and I want to apologize to my fans, the Mavericks and the NBA. I am fortunate to be playing basketball in the League. I realize I have a responsibility as a role model for young fans, and I take that responsibility seriously."

America can now sleep easy—Josh Howard is a moral man and regrets that he openly discussed a topic on public radio that could negatively influence children who look up to him.

But for at least one 25-year old hoops fan watching this unfold from his San Francisco office, Howard's morality was obvious well before Sunday.

When asked before gametime on Friday why he wanted to discuss marijuana on a sports-radio talk show, Josh Howard said:

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