He Dribbles Before He Shoots

Sometimes driving while intoxicated isn't necessarily your biggest problem. Eddie Griffin is a 24 year-old forward for the Minneapolis Timberwolves. But basketball isn't his only skill. He can also drive with one hand, but if you're on the sidewalk, you'd better keep your eye on him.

One late night back in March, Eddie was traveling the streets of Minneapolis when he hit a vehicle in an intersection, then went into a nearby convenience store and confessed to empoyees that he was intoxicated. After offering to buy the owner of the damaged vehicle a new one, police were summoned. For some reason, they elected to drive him home to St. Paul without testing him or charging him with D.W.I. It couldn't be because he is a popular basketball player, could it? No, probably not.

But, I will bypass that indiscretion to focus on another. As it turns out, the reason Eddie collided with the other vehicle is because he was allegedly watching a pornographic video on his dashboard and masturbating while driving. In Minnesota, that falls under the category of "distracted driving". To say the least.

Eddie was previously arrested for marijuana possesion, after the Houston Rockets suspended him for missing a team flight and practices. Later that year, he was arrested for shooting a gun at a woman and beating her in his Houston home. He violated probation and spent 15 days in jail for that one. Oh ... and he has also been through alcohol-abuse treatment, which apparently failed. It sounds as though there may be another type of abuse for which he needs treatment.

Perhaps a bigger question is: Why is it legal to sell a vehicle with a video screen in the dashboard?