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Gilbert Arenas: ‘I deserve to be punished’

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Former Van Nuys Grant standout and suspended Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas told Esquire magazine he deserves to be punished for bringing four guns into the locker room in a prank gone horribly wrong.

According to the Associated Press, which obtained the interview before the magazine hits the stands this week, Arenas said he wasn’t using ‘longevity thinking’ in pulling the stunt in December and is particularly upset that he ‘messed up’ the legacy of Wizards owner Abe Pollin, who died in November.

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‘I called Mrs. Pollin and said, ‘If Abe was still with us, I would’ve had to talk to him, so I’m gonna give you the same respect. I want to say sorry to you. I deserve to be punished. I’ll do everything it takes to get back your husband’s respect.’’

Not sure exactly what he thinks that punishment should be, but apparently it includes being interviewed by a high-profile men’s fashion magazine, something I’m guessing probably didn’t happen during his injury-plagued previous two seasons or even during his short-lived comeback season this year.

But even if Arenas gained some exposure from attempting to play the worst joke ever on Wizards teammate Javaris Crittenton, the negatives definitely outweigh the positives. He has been suspended for the rest of the season by the NBA and will be sentenced next week after pleading guilty to a felony gun charge in January.

-- Chuck Schilken

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