Barkley Calls His Drunken-Driving ‘Unacceptable’

[duncan228]

Barkley calls his drunken-driving ‘unacceptable’ (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-barkleyapologizes&prov=ap&type=lgns)

He'll be back tomorrow (Thursday).


“This is just my bad, no excuses,” Barkley said in an interview with TNT colleague Ernie Johnson posted on NBA.com Wednesday.

“I think that a DUI is unacceptable,” he added. “That can’t happen and I’ve got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking.”

[duncan228]

The interview from NBA.com.

Barkley: I have to use better judgment (http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/18/barkley.interview/index.html)

"NBA on TNT" analyst Charles Barkley, on leave since January after a DUI arrest in Arizona, will return to the air Thursday night. Turner Sports said Tuesday that Barkley would be in the studio for "Inside the NBA," which features Barkley as well as host Ernie Johnson and analyst Kenny Smith.

Johnson spoke with Barkley on Wednesday about his return to TNT.


Opening Statement from Charles Barkley

Want to start with an apology and a thank you. My bad, my fault.

Getting a DUI is unacceptable in any way, shape or form. I owe an apology to my family, to TNT, to T-Mobile and to my NBA family. I embarrassed all of the above.

Also, I want to say thank you. I've gotten so much support. I've had hundreds of people, total strangers, who have told me to hang in there. You have no idea what that means to me. That means so much to me.

I also want to personally thank some people who took the time to check on me: Adam Silver with the NBA, David Levy, Dick Ebersol, Jeff Behnke, Larry Bird, Quinn Buckner, Mike Pearl, Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, Herb Sendek, Ric Bucher, Ernie Johnson, Joey Crawford and Red McCombs. If I forget anybody, I apologize. You have no idea what it meant to me for people like that to take time out of their schedule to check on me. I will never forget that.

Ernie Johnson: Where do things stand legally with you right now?

Charles Barkley: My lawyers are currently working on it right now and really can't get into too much detail.

EJ: Will it go to trial?

CB: No, I don't believe it will go to trial.

EJ: What have they told you about going to jail?

CB: I may be looking at potentially some jail time but don't know anything yet.

EJ: Will you have to go out and do anything else?

CB: I will have to go to alcohol counseling.

EJ: Is that something that you need?

CB: Well, I think it's going to be good for me, to be honest. I need to make sure drinking is not a problem for me. I just want some professionals to talk to me about it.

EJ: What if the professionals tell you stop drinking?

CB: Then I'll have to stop drinking.

EJ: Do you think you'll be able to do that?

CB: I feel I can do anything that I put my mind to.

EJ: What was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the lights behind you when you were pulled over?

CB: I really wasn't thinking anything, to be honest with you. Until they tell you that you're going to jail, you don't even think like that. You don't think anything bad is going to happen. So I was in shock actually.

EJ: Did you think you were over the limit before they took blood?

CB: No and I thought I did well on the sobriety test. But clearly not good enough.

EJ: When you look back at it now and see that you were almost two times over the legal limit and you got behind the wheel, what do you think?

CB: This is just my bad, no excuses, it was unacceptable. I think that a DUI is unacceptable. That can't happen and I've got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you've been drinking. We've discussed this many times on [Inside the NBA] when other [players] have gotten DUIs. I challenge everybody to really think hard before they get behind the wheel after drinking. Nobody thinks they're drunk driving. But for me, getting a DUI is unacceptable.

EJ: I recall one night last season, when you were made aware of a picture on the internet of your daughter at a party and you were really concerned about that. In the wake of [the DUI], you're all over the Internet.

CB: I think every person who is in the limelight has to be extraordinarily careful in public. With video cameras, camera phones and the Internet, it's become "gotcha" journalism. Most of the time that I'm on the Internet, I'm not doing anything. Clearly people are standing away from me and taking pictures. You really have to be careful in public right now.

EJ: How embarrassing is it for you and your family right now?

CB: It's really, really embarrassing for myself and my family. Also, I embarrassed TNT, I embarrassed T-Mobile and I embarrassed my NBA family. It's not just about me. I embarrassed a lot of people in this situation.

EJ: How did you explain this to your daughter?

CB: I told her that I really, really screwed up and that's all you can say. You can't make excuses. This was 100 percent my fault and it's unacceptable, that's all I told her.

EJ: How did this affect your marriage?

CB: I never discuss my personal life with the public. They don't have the right to know that.

EJ: Have you been back to Alabama?

CB: Yes. My grandmother is the greatest influence in my life. She calls me every day and tells me, "you made a mistake" and "get on with your life. You weren't the first and you won't be the last." She tells me that every single day.

EJ: What's the best piece of advice you've gotten throughout the course of this?

CB: First, I can't put myself in any situation like this again. I have to use better judgment and not put myself in situations like this. I have to get my friends, keep them around me and be careful of every single person in my life. As I said earlier, we live in the era of "gotcha" journalism and I have to be extraordinarily careful anytime I'm out in public.

EJ: How have you spent your days during your leave of absence?

CB: I've expressed a lot of different things. I've been mad, I've been happy, I've been pissed off. Just thinking about how I can't believe I put myself in this situation. It's been frustrating not working, to be honest with you. Just thinking about it, I never realized how many people that I affected. I'm not just saying that because I let you and Kenny [Smith] down and everyone that works on the show. I let TNT down, I let T-Mobile down.

My family understands all the good and bad that goes with being famous. My family understands that. I've been in this since 1984. There are a lot more good things than bad things. Once you are in the limelight, it's difficult. Every mistake you make is going to be magnified. For me, the worst part of this situation is I can't believe I let TNT, T-Mobile and the NBA down. I embarrassed the NBA in this situation. Realistically, that's the thing that disappointed me the most. I can't believe I let those three organizations down.

EJ: Given your platform and where you stand and the influence you can have, are you going to take this message to kids, groups where you would speak?

CB: My message to whoever I speak to is that you have to really think before getting behind the wheel when you drink and drive. I'm going to challenge all individuals when I get back on the air, or when I do future interviews, to really think hard before getting behind the wheel of a car when you've been drinking.

EJ: How does this change your day-to-day life?

CB: I am certainly going to use better judgment. I'm not going to drive a car after I've been drinking. I'm going to get a driver anytime I go out in public. And I'm going to challenge all NBA players and hopefully all jocks across the board. When we go out, we really have to think before getting behind the wheel.

EJ: What was it like to see All-Star Weekend in your city [Phoenix] and not be a part of it?

CB: It was difficult and frustrating. I clearly understand [NBA All-Star] is the signature event for TNT. With it being in Phoenix, I just let TNT down. I wasn't worried about where the event was, I think it was great for Phoenix. But it hit home for me that I had let TNT down. Missing some [regular season] games has been frustrating and watching you guys. But that was the first time that I really realized that I screwed over TNT. If you miss me one day a week, it's frustrating. But to miss me four days in a row, that was when it hit the worst that I had let TNT down.

EJ: I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.

CB: Same here. This is just my bad, no excuses, it was unacceptable. I let so many people down. It just sucks watching the shows and not being there. I screwed this up.

[Summers]

I miss him. Welcome back Chuck.

[Chieflion]

It was turrible.

[Kamnik]

I feel sorry for the guy....

He is getting crucified for DUI. Sounds more like he would kill some people.

Some of the laws in America are crazy strict. (and im not saying it is a bad thing)

[Chieflion]

I feel sorry for the guy....

He is getting crucified for DUI. Sounds more like he would kill some people.

Some of the laws in America are crazy strict. (and im not saying it is a bad thing)

Why does America allow guns to be carried? Makes people feel unsecure while even taking a stroll.

[Rogue]

Why does America allow guns to be carried? Makes people feel unsecure while even taking a stroll.
that's just why americans should bring a gun with them wherever they go.