Josh Howard Caught Not Celebrating the National Anthem

Dallas Mavericks star Josh Howard is beginning to get into a very bad habit of off-the-court trouble making. Or at the very least, Josh Howard is getting into a bad habit of saying very questionable things. Youtube, that omnipresent exposer of everyone's bad mistakes, is now displaying Josh Howard's latest blunder for all to see.

At a flag football game hosted by Allen Iverson in July, a homemade video was taken of the players during the national anthem, which has just now gotten out to the public. In this video, Josh Howard said something that others probably wouldn't say in front of any cameras anywhere. While addressing the national anthem, Josh Howard proclaimed that "The Star Spangled Banner's going on right now and I don't celebrate that s***. I'm black, goddamnit." Howard's comments take place a minute and 42 seconds into the video.

In addition to those odd comments by Josh Howard, he was reported to have said something else about Barack Obama that the video couldn't make out. But the infamy and damage was done, as well as puzzlement as to what Josh Howard meant by hinting that being black has anything to do with not celebrating the national anthem.

This incident is another chapter in the infamous summer Josh Howard has had. Howard had bragged about his marijuana use during the Mavericks playoff series this year against New Orleans, then Howard threw a big birthday bash for himself before Game 4, against coach Avery Johnson's wishes.

After the season ended, Howard got himself arrested in July for participating in a late-night street race. That seems to be around the same time that Howard made this verbal blunder.

Howard had already got himself vulnerable to un-American charges in 2006 when he turned down an offer to play for the U.S. Olympic team. His reasoning was that it conflicted with his summer camps.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban commented that the Mavericks talked with Howard about this incident when it happened. He went on to say that Howard will be going through "advanced communication-skill sessions" when the Mavericks return for training camp.

Sources