Josh Howard: National Anthem

The recent comments made by Josh Howard, at Allen Iverson's annual flag football celebrity game, about the national anthem, have garnered some publicity, to say the least. While the star spangled banner played in the background, Howard began to do something unusual during the singing of the anthem, he began to talk. He went on to say, to a camera phone, "star spangled banner going on right now, I don't even celebrate that (expletive). I'm black (expletive)..." Los (Baltimore rapper) the one holding the camera phone, told ESPN that Howard made the comments in a joking manner and did not mean anything by it.
Regardless of whether or not you take offense to these comments or you think it's not a big deal, one thing is clear; Howard (and the media) has dug himself into yet another hole. Having a famous face comes with a price, and probably the biggest is: whatever you say will surface (and will be mixed to the medias liking). However, Howard has yet to understand this concept of fame and comments like these can have a big influence on the way certain people view him. Especially Dallas fans, which are said to be very "patriotic" and hard on athletes who don't think before they talk politics. This shouldn't warrant Howard losing his job, but it may hinder his fan support.
The talk of trading Howard is begining to be a question in people's minds. If these comments and some of Howards other so called "off court antics" are enough to outweigh his on court success then the fans and the NBA have forgotten what the league is supposed to be about. The above remarks and others like it should never erase the talent and hard work that goes into becoming a professional athlete. At the end of the day, Josh Howard is just a person like you and I, and whether or not he made a mistake or "crossed the line" is for you to determine, but lets just let him do what he does best, play basketball.
Joe Murphy