Marijuana Charge Dropped Against Anthony

[Hash]

DENVER - Prosecutors dropped a marijuana possession charge against Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony on Wednesday, saying it would be tough to get a conviction after a friend claimed the drug was his and not Anthony's.

"I'm thankful to be vindicated by the dismissal of this charge," Anthony said in a statement. "As I stated before, I never intentionally possessed marijuana. My responsibility was to see this process through and I have done that."

Anthony was charged with possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana on Oct. 15 after a bag with the drug was found in his backpack as the team waited to board a flight to Milwaukee for a preseason game.

Anthony said the drug belonged to a friend, James Cunningham. Cunningham, who often stays with Anthony when he is in town on business, signed an affidavit saying he borrowed the backpack without Anthony's knowledge and accidentally left the marijuana in it.

City attorney Cole Finegan said Cunningham's affidavit was forwarded to police for a decision on whether to issue him a citation.

"We wanted Carmelo to be vindicated," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "That was important to Carmelo and I think important to his fans to know he was innocent of these charges. He knows there was a mistake and it's not going to happen again."

Vandeweghe also said he was pleased prosecutors took a month to review the case so there was no appearance of special treatment. He sent a letter to Cole shortly after the charges were filed, saying Anthony had passed four random drug tests last season and that his tests from the U.S. Olympic Committee at the Athens Games this summer were also negative.

"He has passed every drug test with the Nuggets because he does not take illegal drugs," said Anthony's attorney, Daniel Recht. "The case has upset Carmelo a great deal because he does not want his fans, especially the kids, to get the wrong impression of him."

Anthony faced a fine of $100 and no jail time for the petty offense, but the hit to his image would have been much more difficult to take.

With a charismatic smile and a superb all-around game, Anthony was an instant star in Denver after the Nuggets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2003 draft. After leading Syracuse to the national championship as a freshman, he helped Denver to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history as a rookie last season. The Nuggets reached the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

But there also have been some growing pains for the 20-year-old forward.

Anthony refused to go back into a game last season after his teammates complained about his shot selection, and he was relegated to the bench in Athens after U.S. coach Larry Brown called him a selfish player.

Anthony also was involved in a scuffle at a New York bar after someone reportedly spit on his girlfriend, MTV host La La Vasquez.

"He is a great guy. He is very positive in the community and makes a great impact on the court and off the court," Vandeweghe said. "I'm so proud about Carmelo. He's learned some hard lessons and he will be a better person for it."



By JOHN MARSHALL, AP Sports Writer
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