Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon said Wednesday he doesn’t think he has a drinking problem.
Blackmon spoke with reporters during an 18-minute news conference following a Sunday morning DUI arrest, which was his second in 20 months.
“First off, I want to openly apologize to Gene (Smith, general manager) and Mr. (Shad) Khan and his family, coach (Mike) Mularkey, the whole organization, teammates, everyone that I, with my poor judgment over the weekend, that I brought bad press to,” he said.
“I just want to apologize for that and just let people know that it’s not who I am, that’s not who I’m going to be.”
Blackmon said the incident resulted from putting himself in a bad situation. Smith pointed out a common issue for athletes: who you hang out with may not actually be looking out for your best interest.
“There are a lot of people that sometimes you associate with that don’t have the same goals you have,” Smith said. “You’ve got to say to yourself, ‘I’ve got to do things in a different way. I can’t keep doing this. This is going to take me down the wrong path and I’ve got to change.’ I think that’s what he’s got to do. I’ve expressed that him.”
Blackmon said he plans to stop drinking.
“People are going to think what they are going to think. Words are words. It’s my actions that are going to have to show,” Blackmon said.
Source: Chicagotribune.com
