Basketball: anthony busted for pot

there seems to be a lot of friends leaving their drugs behind these days....very generous of them

Nuggets' Anthony cited for marijuana possession, says it wasn't his

By JOHN MARSHALL, AP Sports Writer
October 21, 2004
DENVER (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony was cited for marijuana possession before getting on a team flight last week, but the Denver Nuggets' star says the drug was left in his backpack by a friend.

Anthony was issued a summons last Friday at Denver International Airport; he flew with his teammates to Milwaukee for the next day's preseason game but didn't play.

Anthony's attorney, Daniel Recht, said the marijuana was left in the bag by an out-of-town friend who borrowed the backpack last week.


``The friend obviously uses marijuana and left a small amount in the backpack when he returned it to Carmelo,'' Recht said Thursday. ``Carmelo had no idea there was any marijuana in the backpack.''

Anthony was charged with possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana, a petty offense with a maximum $100 fine and no jail time. He was in Los Angeles for a preseason game Thursday against the Clippers and not immediately available for comment.

Recht said he met with a city attorney and requested the citation be dismissed. He also said the friend acknowledged the marijuana was his and would come forward to accept responsibility.

Recht also said he received a letter from Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe verifying Anthony passed four random drug tests last season and another two weeks ago. The letter also said tests from U.S. Olympic Committee at the Athens Games this summer came back negative.

The charismatic Anthony led Syracuse to an NCAA title as a freshman in 2003, then was the third overall pick in the NBA draft. He helped the Nuggets to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history, from the league's worst record at 17-65 to reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

There also have been some growing pains.

Anthony refused to go back into a game last season after his teammates complained about his shot selection and he was relegated to the bench at the Olympics after U.S. coach Larry Brown called him a selfish player.

Anthony also was involved in a scuffle at a New York bar in September.

Hey, is he 21 yet? so why's he in a bar?

City lawyer still reviewing facts of Anthony drug case

DENVER -- The city's attorney said Friday he hasn't decided whether to drop a marijuana possession charge against Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, even though a friend of the player's said the drugs found in Anthony's backpack belonged to him.

"We're still looking at the facts in the case," City Attorney Cole Finegan said.

Anthony received a summons Oct. 15 at Denver International Airport after a small amount of marijuana was found in his bag as the team prepared to travel to Milwaukee for an exhibition game.

Anthony's lawyer, Daniel Recht, said the marijuana belonged to James Cunningham of St. Louis, who often stays with Anthony when he's in Denver on business. Cunningham has signed an affidavit saying the drugs belonged to him.

After the news of Anthony's citation broke Thursday, Recht met with Finegan and said he expected the case to be dropped.

Before Thursday night's exhibition game in Los Angeles against the Clippers, Anthony said he was innocent and that he did not use or intentionally possess marijuana. He said he regretted any embarrassment he had caused his family, fans and team.

Recht has also said he received a letter from general manager Kiki Vandeweghe verifying Anthony passed four random drug tests last season and another just two weeks ago. The letter also said tests from U.S. Olympic Committee at the Athens Games this summer came back negative.