A Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling?

UPDATE to There Is No Dumbass Vaccine:

In a press conference today, Josh Howard finally spoke up about comments he made over the summer disrespecting the US National Anthem.

To wit: "I'd like to say that I'm truly and really am sorry for everything that's happened in the last five months. This is not the way I carry myself, not how I want to be portrayed. I'm sorry to everybody I've offended. I'm upset with myself and the way I've acted. It was me joking around," he said.

"Guys were out there making fun and I decided to get along in it. I wasn't using my head. I guess the valuable lesson I did learn is that words really do hurt. You're held accountable for what you say."

"That's not me. ... I went to military school. I have friends that served in the military. I know how it is to wake up and salute the flag. The national anthem every game, I have my hand over my heart."

While it'd be nice to believe Mr. Howard, I'm skeptical. Saying "this is not the way I carry myself" seems a tad disingenuous to me given his history, but time will tell. He had to say something eventually; we know that Mark Cuban defended him after his remarks were made public, and Maverick's Coach, Rick Carlisle, flew all the way to Howard's home in North Carolina to have a "come to Jesus" chat with him, so apparently that was enough of a shot in the, er...well, you know...to motivate him to have his agent write up an apology for him. :P

For the most part, Mr. Howard's statements sound remarkably similar to apology lines I've heard trotted out by other celebrities for various infractions over the years. Seems people get real sorry when they're caught.

And while it doesn't affect my personal life what Mr. Howard believes, his thoughtless comments were hurtful, inflamatory and representative of a damaging mind set in this country. Now that he has made a public show of contrition, I can only hope that he walks the talk....that would be a "valuable lesson" indeed.

I know I'm not the only one that will be watching, a lot of impressionable young minds will be, too.