Forget about the legalities or abstract discussions of whether pot is harmful.
These guys are just plain stupid.
Risk a multi-million dollar career for a few joints? Not smart. And no one is going to be able to support the notion that smoking anything - toilet paper, pot, or tobacco, is something that appropriately prepares an athlete for competing at the very highest levels in the world.
There's no dress code for your job? Have you ever made more than $20K?
how stupid wrote:
Forget about the legalities or abstract discussions of whether pot is harmful.
These guys are just plain stupid.
Risk a multi-million dollar career for a few joints? Not smart. And no one is going to be able to support the notion that smoking anything - toilet paper, pot, or tobacco, is something that appropriately prepares an athlete for competing at the very highest levels in the world.
These guys aren't risking a multi-million dollar career for a few joints. Yes, they are being disciplined for it, but these aren't fringe players for whom a couple discipline issues might be the difference between making the roster and being cut. It's well-known around the league that many of the players smoke, and while there are rules against it in place largely for PR purposes, most higher-ups don't really care if, say, the San Antonio Spurs backup two-guard smokes a bowl or takes a couple bong rips to mellow out after the game.
Also, the idea that professional athletes have some sort of obligation to do *absolutely everything possible* to perform at the highest level is one that bothers me; does an accountant have the responsibility to be the best accountant possible? Or can he just achieve a certain acceptable level of proficiency (determined by his company, or supervisor, or whatever) and then do what he wants with the rest of his life? I would say the latter. And, as far as I'm concerned, the same goes for athletes; if they are good enough that a team is willing to employ them even though they are doing something detrimental to their performance (which, by the way, every athlete is doing to some degree: be it staying out too late, be it smoking pot, be it taking too long a break during the off-season, or even spending too much time and energy caring for his or her family instead of resting up for the next game) then good on them.
Finally, as an relatively unrelated but amusing aside, this summer I worked with a guy who played baseball at Kansas (and claims to have partied with them after they won the national championship, which is f***ing sweet), and he said that they were all pretty solid potheads, but it isn't Arthur or Chalmers who's the biggest one, but Brandon Rush. So good on him for being smart enough about it not to get busted for it.
Wow, those guys are morons. I'm not entirely sure I'd want someone so stupid on my team.
wow letsrun posters are a bunch of geeks!!!!!
Off-court!Your boss cares what shirt you wear in your free time?
mpnc wrote:
Off-court!Your boss cares what shirt you wear in your free time?
Their boss is pissed:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3569725mpnc wrote:
Off-court!Your boss cares what shirt you wear in your free time?
One day, if you leave your position at Applebees, you'll know there is a difference.
Use of the drug is specifically prohibited in the CBA.
When you travel for business, is that "your free time?" The NBA is an employer that requires travel for many of its employees. Travel is done on company time. The NBA isn't telling them what to wear at home or in the car on the way to practice or during the off-season.