<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">One view on the Sebastian Telfair episode: It is stretching the bounds of credulity to ask us to swallow the story that the Trail Blazer point guard inadvertently picked up his girlfriend’s bag, which happened to have a loaded Smith & Wesson inside, before it was discovered by a flight attendant before the team went through customs in Boston last week.
What difference does it make if the handgun is registered to Telfair’s girlfriend? Any NBA player would be wise enough not to register a weapon under his name. Of course, you would think the player also would be wise enough not to carry it on a plane, in violation of the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement.
You also would think that if Telfair made an “innocent mistake,” as team President Steve Patterson said, he would immediately ’fess up to team officials or security personnel.
Maybe Telfair’s girlfriend considers the urban jungles of Portland so dangerous, she needs protection.
So what if Telfair “has apologized profusely,” as Patterson suggests in a put-the-best-spin-on-it mode.
What, you expected him to be defiant?
Telfair’s endorsement contract with Adidas doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy, although PR representative Travis Gonzalez said over the weekend from the All-Star Game in Houston, “We’re still waiting to find out from Sebastian and his agent what actually transpired. We’re still in the investigational phase.”
After the incident, Patterson said this on the Blazer pre-game radio show: “Before we take any actions, we’re going to be prudent about getting the entire story … as opposed to reacting emotionally or with an itchy trigger finger, so to speak.” Whether a Freudian slip or an attempt at humor, it was a poor choice of words on an issue the NBA takes — and should take — very seriously.</div>
Telfair’s story is a pretty lame one 
