After Da Bulls’ Joakim Noah made the wrong sort of headlines this weekend after allegedly brandishing “an amber colored liquid” in a public place, the former Gator standout predictably suffered the slings and arrows of the sports blogosphere — a community where beer and weed have never, ever been consumed, presumably. Thankfully, there’s one guy capable of putting this in the proper perspective. Ladies and Gentleman, CSTB’s Father Of The Year, Yannick Noah, as quoted by the Associated Press :
Yannick Noah is perplexed by “all that fuss” surrounding the arrest of his basketball player son, who was charged with marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol.
Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah was arrested Sunday in Gainesville, Fla., after an officer spotted him on a sidewalk holding a plastic cup. Police said that during a search at the station officers found marijuana in his pocket.
“I don’t understand all that fuss for just drinking a beer on the street,” Yannick Noah said Tuesday at the French Open.
The elder Noah won the title at Roland Garros in 1983. He created a sensation a few years before when he told a magazine writer he smoked marijuana.
Joakim Noah was released after signing a notice to appear before a judge — standard procedure for such offenses. He could face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine for the marijuana charge.
“I talk to him every day on the phone,” said Yannick Noah, who was at Roland Garros on Tuesday for the dedication of a walkway named after him. “He’ll soon come over to France to see me.”
I don’t have time to consult the Elias Koteas Sports Bureau today, but if anyone else is interested in doing the research, I’d love to know for sure which incident received more coverage from the combined forces of the MMS and sports blogs —- Noah’s arrest, or Jerry Buss’ DUI.