Re: [轉錄][陸聞] Josh Howard借公益活動改變癮君ꐠ…
http://tinyurl.com/5vuqu2
Josh Howard's words – the foolish ones he uttered on the radio before Game
3 of the playoff series against New Orleans about smoking marijuana during
the off-season – have tainted his reputation.
But he refuses to run from his words. Or let them prevent him from being an
asset to the communities in Dallas and his native North Carolina.
Actually, he'll spend some more time dealing with the fallout from his words
during the four-day basketball camp, which began Monday, that bears his name.
You can't fool kids. They know what he said about smoking marijuana, whether
they listened to it on the radio, read it or heard from their friends.
"People's first reaction is that I just got high all day every day," Howard
said Monday afternoon.
"I got on a radio station back home and talked about it. I've got nothing to
hide. I ain't scared. There's been no backlash."
That's not really the point.
Howard, who said he'll address his comments, also needs to explain to each of
the camp's 137 kids why they should refrain from using marijuana, any other
illegal drug, and avoid underage drinking.
Perhaps he'll do it during the daily sessions about life skills, in which
Howard or a guest speaker discusses the importance of education or
decision-making.
His words should be direct and honest. No ambiguity should exist when he's
done.
"I think it would be good for him to address it," said Martha Wilson, a
special education teacher from Plano, who had three children at the camp.
"Accountability is good for all of us.
"My kids wanted to talk to him and see if they could help him because they
care about him. When you love somebody it's not just about what they can do
for you, but what you can do for them."
Howard owes the kids at his camp an explanation, just like he felt obligated
to phone NBA commissioner David Stern as well as Michael Jordan because of
their Nike relationship and the executives from the sports beverage company
he represents.
"I called David Stern and apologized because I ain't crazy," Howard said. "I
heard the backlash, and he could've been feeling the same way. I wanted to
make sure he understood some of the things going on in my personal life.
Really, though, it was just about being a man and dealing with it."
Howard wants to do too much good work to put himself in a position where he's
being called a pothead.
Remember, he's the same guy who turned down an opportunity to make the U.S.
basketball team as a defensive stopper in 2006 because he had promised his
hometown kids a basketball camp.
This is also the same man who sponsors a boys and a girls AAU team and a
league in North Carolina in which every player receives a free uniform, which
is a big deal for many families given the state of our economy.
He has camps in both communities and makes sure sponsorships are available
for kids without the cash to attend. He's also in the process of organizing a
health fair for senior citizens.
"This is all stuff I've always wanted to do," he said.
Pro athletes are role models whether they accept the responsibility or not.
It comes with the seven-digit salaries, 10,000-square-foot houses and the
$100,000 automobiles.
Besides, they can't really expect to earn huge dollars persuading fans to buy
the products they hawk, while asking them to ignore their off-the-field
indiscretions. It doesn't work that way.
Howard understands that. He can influence kids. Not all of them, obviously,
but he can positively affect a lot of lives.
We're all flawed. And aside from the self-righteous among us, we've all made
regrettable decisions. There's no shame in that. The shame comes from
continually making the same mistakes.
Howard is smart enough to avoid that.
原文中重點:
Josh打電話給Stern道歉
有提到06年的婉拒國家隊徵召
因為他答應要幫當地小孩
辦營隊
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06/26 22:09, , 1F
06/26 22:09, 1F
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