sacstateman said:
citay said:
Ty Lawson, the Denver point guard recently traded to Houston, just picked up his fourth DUI. It is well known that he had another that went unreported, and that he often showed up to practice stinking of alcohol. For this behavior he has received two two-game suspensions, and one three-game suspension. Another suspension looms.
Lawson is not the first NBA player with a drinking problem. Another famous case was that of Chris Mullin, then of the Warriors, who missed so many practices he was suspended by the team, and later traded. This behavior occurred during the same period that Micheal Ray was having his drug problems, leading to a life-long suspension. (Remember, the suspension was revoked after two years, and Micheal Ray could have returned, but chose to stay in Europe.)
At that time, Richardson complained that there was a double standard: Alcohol abuse was pretty much tolerated, while cocaine meant a lifetime suspension.
Mullin went into rehab after about four years, and claimed he never took a drop of alcohol after that. Lawson is headed to rehab as we speak. But those four DUI's are still on the books, and it will be interesting to see how the NBA rules on his case.
All by way of saying, I believe Micheal Ray's contention is probably true: You can't separate the "War on Drugs" from racism. This war is really on the drugs used by black people; not the alcohol we white guys drink. Lawson, Richardson and Mullin had the same problem: They were ill. But the treatments were very different. Why?
Sorry...I missed your answer in there....please point it out again....and cocaine is still illegal and alcohol is legal...I just pointed out a possible reason for the different ways players were treated was because one substance was legal while the other was not hence one player was breaking the law while the other was not and that the black player, when abusing a legal substance was punished the same as the white player who abused legal substances....Chris Herron (a white player) was also run out of the league for cocaine and heroin abuse....can you name one white player who was using illegal drugs and got caught who didn't get the same punishment as a black player who did the same???? I'm not saying it didn't happen but I can't remember an instance where it did....
You did not miss my answer.
You said, "Let's not put race one every problem in the world."
So you got my answer.
Racism.
My answer as to why cocaine is illegal, subject to a total ban from the league.
While alcohol, an equally dangerous potentially destructive drug, is legal. Subject to a suspension of a couple of games here and there.
Both can become addictions.
One is treated as an illness.
The other as a criminal act, subject to onerous prison sentences.
That's my issue here.
Not Chris Herron.
What's your answer to that?
