Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose said he used “extremely poor judgment” in posing for a photo flashing a gang sign.
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose said he used "extremely poor judgment" in posing for a photo flashing a gang sign. The NBA’s Rookie of the Year said in a statement issued through the Bulls that the photo circulating on the Internet was taken at a party he went to while at the University of Memphis. It was "meant as a joke … a bad one, I now admit," Rose said. Rose said he was "guilty of being young, naive and of using extremely poor judgment," but has never been affiliated with a gang. "I can’t speak loudly enough against gang violence and things that gangs represent," he said. "I sincerely apologize to all my fans for my mistake." Rose, the overall No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft who led the Bulls to the playoffs, was already under a cloud cast by an NCAA investigation of major violations at Memphis during the only season he played there. In a letter to Memphis, the NCAA said an unknown person took the SAT for a player — with his knowledge — and that the player used it to get admitted. The governing body says the athlete played for the Tigers only in the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. Only one person fits that description — Rose. While the allegations swirled, Rose has kept quiet. The only word out of his camp has been a statement by attorney Daniel E. Reidy, who said Rose cooperated in an investigation by Memphis that uncovered "no wrongdoing on his part." ______ In photo: The undated photo depicts Rose, who grew up in one of Chicago’s most violent and gang-ridden neighborhoods, seated with his hands raised and fingers crooked in the "pitchforks" sign of the Gangster Disciples Nation. The photograph began circulating this week in an email. It is unclear when or where the photograph was taken. (AP Photo)
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