Howard was also arrested in North Carolina for street racing. Again, it's also become unfortunately commonplace for pro athletes to drive too fast in inappropriate situations. Thankfully, nobody was injured — but it's still hard to disremember the tragic fate of Bobby Phills under similar circumstances.

Now Howard has been caught in the act of dissing the national anthem and playing the race card in defense of that act.

Howard may feel that too many African Americans are still treated as second-class citizens, and, whatever the merits of his convictions may be, he's certainly entitled to his opinion. It should also be noted that this sentiment is certainly nothing new in the NBA. Remember when Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand when the Star Spangled Banner was played before games? Eventually, Abdul-Rauf simply retreated to the locker room while the anthem was being played, thereby transforming his protest into something much more private, more even-tempered, less contentious, and consequently more sincere.

However, racism in America remains a serious and sensitive subject — one that has to be dealt with in a serious and sensitive fashion. It says here that Howard easily could have found a better, more fruitful way to voice his feeling about this.

As it is, his foul-mouthed rant contributes nothing positive, creates unnecessary antagonisms, obscures the basic issue and demonstrates that he's sorely in need of a crash course in anger management.

News » Latest incident reveals Howard's sense of entitlement 2008-09-22
Latest incident reveals Howard's sense of entitlement 2008-09-22
What can we make of Josh Howard's latest foolishness? Well, let's first begin with a recap of the previous bouts of foolishness. So, he confessed to smoking pot, something that I suspect many of his peers in the NBA and many of his age-group contemporaries do on the sly anyway. A dumb move for sure, but not one that qualifies Howard for the FBI's most wanted list. Even before this casual, unprompted admission of drug use, Howard didn't exactly qualify as a role model. Just Joshing? Josh Howard is taking some heat after his controversial remarks.about the Star Spangled Banner. Not sure what all the fuss is about? Watch Howard's rant HERE.