What Every Athlete Should Learn from Josh Howard

"'The Star Spangled Banner' is going on right now. I don't even celebrate that (expletive). I'm black." -Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks forward, at A.I.'s flag football charity Tourney. *crickets chirping* Hear that sound? It's the sound of silence. It's the sound of a big, huge abyss of nothing. Not a sound from Howard's PR man, not a sound from Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban. David Stern? Silent. Jason Whitlock? Josh Howard may have even shocked the two American athletes who stood on a medal podium in Mexico City's Summer Olympics 40 years ago. You remember them, don't ya Josh? The black power fisted salute from Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who stood there shoeless, but with black socks on, to represent the poverty of American blacks? As much as it outraged whites, at least they had a message to send, albeit in the wrong forum. It was time of the Vietnam War and civil disobedience. It was a time of strained race relations, a time of Angela Davis and the Black Panthers. Have we learned anything from those 1968 Olympics? Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and Barack Obama have. They have held or are holding some of the highest honors our nation can bestow on civil servants. And they do it for a 1/20th of Howard's salary. Josh Howard made $9 million in salary alone last year playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Ironically, one of the highest paid members on his team, Dirk Nowitzki, is a German patriot. Nowitzki, by the way, stands for the American anthem every game out of respect for our country. Let that sink in. What made Howard's mouth utter such disrespectful words is indeed, puzzling. In effect, he is saying some blacks shouldn't recognize the anthem or flag of our country. Could the NBA send Howard to Iraq and tell the American troops there that same line? Think they'll be just a little hot under the collar? What Howard fails to understand is that all Americans respect the history of our young nation. They may not agree with its policies or agendas, but they are fervently loyal to the flag, and committed to making our leaders "get it right" for future generations. This country is young, and forever learning. The flag and our anthem represent the blood, sweat, toil, and tears of so many who have sacrificed their lives for us. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree on the rights or wrongs of a war, but rather, respect those who are fighting for it. If we could bring up the dead from the Civil Rights era and ask them this question, "Should a black man making $9 million a year to play a game show respect for the anthem being played?", the answers would wail in shocked outrage. All they fought for, and died for, was a chance to pursue liberty, happiness and equal opportunity. Equality. To be treated fairly in employment, and not judged on skin color. We still have a long way to go, but Josh Howard just took everything they fought for and made it worthless. He stomped on it, mashed it into the ground, and then spit on it. He is living the American Dream, and biting the hand that feeds him. He has defeated their cause. A rich basketball player has thumbed his nose at great Civil Rights heroes. Perhaps, Howard's mistake will resonate with young football players who entertain us every Saturday. While they aren't being paid per se, they are getting a free education, meals, medical insurance, millions of dollars worth of publicity, a chance to be amongst their peers in a challenging setting and hopefully, to learn to follow rules and guidelines. While our college football players think the golden carrot is the answer to all of their dreams, we know it is not. The millions they may make is a perk, but the constant media attention and the pressure of being put under a microscope are the negatives that all too often make you a hero one minute, a goat the next. Stephen Garcia has supposedly learned this lesson. Ryan Perrilloux has also been schooled. Maurice Clarett? Who next? Just check out the rosters of your favorite teams and see who is suspended for unknown team violations. It's a trend that continues in the NBA, the NFL and yes, even in America's past time, baseball. The trickle-down effect has now hit college football, and it won't be long until high schools get hit with the thug-diva syndrome. Rules were meant to be broken. It's already commonplace in the news: the police blotter list of college football players violating the law gets bigger and bigger every year. And yet we, the fans, point fingers at everybody but the villain himself. It's the coach's fault; he needs to wield more control over his players. But don't suspend him. We need him. He's our best player. Josh Howard was the first in his family to graduate college, but has been a constant source of scorn after he freely admitted to smoking marijuana in the off-season. Howard, it seems, thinks he is invincible. Impervious to negative press. Howard was wrong.  Howard committed the final step in thuggery. He didn't mouth off to a cop, smoke a joint or get in brawl, for we Americans seem all too forgiving of those youthful mistakes. No, it wasn't a crime by legal definition, but it was a crime of the heart. He ripped our souls apart and made us angry. He embarrassed us. Scream all you want, but Howard is going nowhere. If Cuban releases him, another team will pick him up. Howard is just an older version of Ryan Perrilloux, or a younger version of Adam "Pac-Man" Jones five years from now. No apology will fix Howard's now-tarnished image. No more endorsements. No more idol worship. American justice has a way of making things right. With their wallets.  Hopefully, college football players will get this message now, rather than later.