Howard disrespects national anthem

07:11 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 17, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
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Josh Howard's decision-making has again come into question after he was filmed disrespecting the national anthem.

And the Mavericks are taking steps to help Howard and their other players avoid controversy in the future.

In a video posted on YouTube, the swingman is shown at Allen Iverson's charity flag football game in July. When the national anthem is being sung, various participants are shown mugging for the camera. When the camera gets to Howard, he says: " 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black."

Howard goes on to make a difficult-to-discern comment that includes a reference to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.