Basketball, Drugs and Second Chances

Basketball, drugs and second chances don’t necessarily occur and they most certainly don’t necessarily occur in that order.

Drugs generally get all the attention during Red Ribbon Week, a national anti-drug campaign formalized in 1988 three years after the murder of its inspiration DEA agent Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena. But as I talk to athletes, students and casual drug users I’m learning that addiction is more the focal point than drug use. And I know the two go hand-in-hand but the main threat to young athletes is derailment at the hands of addiction.

Chris Andersen is a professional basketball player who earns his pay as a Denver Nugget and he’s a fan favorite with his multicolored tattoo sleeves and hair that has gained him the nicknmame “Bird Man”. He blocks shots and is the ultimate role player but the fans know his real story – that he’s an ex addict or perhaps, an addict in recovery. Three years ago Andersen was kicked out of the NBA for a “drugs of abuse” violation. The expulsion from the league cost him $14 million ($3.5 annually) and a four year contract.

My police friends tell me the threats of narcotics haven’t gone out of style. Crack is predominantly abused by African Americans, Heroine by Latinos, Crystal Meth by Caucasians. This is not to mention performance enhancing drugs and addiction to over-the-counter medicine.

Drug jingles, slogans debunking drug use and commercials are unmistakably cliche. But so are the effects drugs have on a life. It’s not an issue of being caught as much as it is about giving control of yourself over to something else. And I’ve never had a student athlete raise their hand when I ask, “Who wants to be a slave?” What’s better, getting a second chance or not needing one in the first place?