Dwight Howard found himself in a sticky situation when he was caught using Stickum, an illegal substance in the NBA, during the Houston Rockets’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks. After a strange sequence that saw Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff try to hide the “disguised” spray can, the game continued as normal. After the game, Howard admitted to using the spray for five years while trying to diminish the story that had arisen from it.
Now, Howard wants the world to know he’s not a cheater – after admitting to having used a banned substance. Howard had the following to say:
“I just think that it’s getting overblown, like I’m doing something crazy,” he said. “But again, I’ve never been a cheater, never been the type of player that has to do something illegal to win. It’s upsetting, but I can’t control it now.”
I would not necessarily call this a back-track but it’s an interesting way of going about saving his reputation. It’s one thing to say that you were unaware of the substance being banned – that’s the go-to answer for these situations. But to say that it’s being overblown and to say you’re not a cheater after admitting to doing something that is deemed by the NBA to be cheating for five years is an entirely different proposition.
Regardless, through all of the smoke and mirrors, the end result has been a stern warning from the NBA and nothing else. Many, including myself, expected a suspension for the Rockets’ center but it seems as though nothing of the sort will happen. It does make some sense, as the NBA’s rules for such substances are somewhat vague with sticky resins being commonly used throughout the league.
Nevertheless, it is another incident in a long line of actions committed by Dwight that have seen him fall from grace as one of the most loved players in the league to an almost universally hated one. In the end, using Stickum is not that big of a deal, but it’s being added to already prevalent premonitions about Howard and none of this helps what may be an irreparable public image.
