The Hilarious, Possibly Tragic Tale Of Teddy Dupay, Marijuana Advocate

You may not remember Teddy Dupay, but he was one of the coolest college players ever. One of those guys that you know won't make it to the NBA, but was just an assassin in college. An Acie Law, Hollis Price-type player. We love those guys, anyway, but since Teddy was white and kind of slow, he gave hope to a generation of undersized gunners that were told (rightfully so) that they'd never make it.

So what's Teddy been up to? Well, Fanhouse's recent profile of Teddy Dupay sheds some light on that issue. If you haven't gotten the chance to read it, you should check it out. Not really a sports story, but an engaging account of a pretty crazy life. To wit, this paragraph is pretty unbelievable:

From high school All-America point guard, to University of Florida star, to disgraced and banished college athlete, to basketball nomad, to single father, to accused rapist, to convicted felon, to inmate, to free man, and now, to optimistic crusader and energized entrepreneur. Next up: Legalizing pot.

Oh... Of course. Legalizing pot. That's the logical next step. Below, Teddy Dupay speaks for his cannabis advocacy group, SB Nation S'Boalnation.

Surprisingly, it's just as ridiculous as it sounds:

S'Boalnation is quickly becoming the largest charitable contributor of the 21st century ... Marijuana IS the solution to our country's economic woes. It IS the solution to our planet's environmental crisis. It IS the solution to our ridiculous dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil.

And... well, none of those things can possibly be true. Kind of awesome, though. One day I'd like to create an advocacy group, offering vague claims that you couldn't possibly verify. Like this:

SB Nation provides solutions that WE can use. Sports Blogs ARE the solution to single parent homes. They CAN fix the Middle East. Currently, we're in the process of becoming the largest charity in the world. Would you like to team with SB Nation for an easy, up front payment of $90.75?

Then join us! Barack Obama!

And that's what Fanhouse's otherwise awesome profile overlooked: that this is all ridiculous. It's why marijuana legalization has failed to gain much traction in this country. Marijuana should definitely be legalized, but that's a whole different conversation. The problem is that it seems like the dialogue's always led by people like Teddy Dupay. Watch the video above. He's like the older guy at the party that you better keep an eye on, or he might just sleep with your younger sister. Slick enough to talk his way into anything, desperate enough to be shamed by nothing.

The Teddy Dupay story is funny, and upon closer inspection, a little sad. Here is this hero from Florida, pitching a glorified pyramid scheme off in Utah. It costs $94.20 to join "S'Boalnation" and $24.20-per-month in membership dues. He's not unlike millions of college kids trying to find their way after glory years in school, plugging away with different careers, hoping to find one that sticks. And that's fine, as long we acknowledge that's he kind of full of crap.

Hopefully he'll find success. If not with this venture, then with something else. His story's not unlike a lot of other college stars that didn't quite make it in the pros. Remember Gerry McNamara? There he is, hawking Lasik eye surgery. Not exactly the glamorous life enjoyed by teammates like Hakim Warrick and Carmelo Anthony, but hey, it's money, right?

At least he's not running some pyramid scheme in Utah.

That's the point, here: there are a million different careers that college athletes find after school. Haven't you seen those NCAA commercials during March Madness? Most of them go onto to become doctors and lawyers. And then some, like Teddy Dupay, take a while to get things figured out. Not necessarily a cautionary tale, but definitely a reminder that these stars are human, and their stories go in a lot of different directions after Division 1.

It's nice that Fanhouse takes a serious look at Teddy Dupay's new career, but it's silly to pretend it's anything other than ridiculous. This "disclosure" from the Fanhouse author, encapsulates it:

As for his knowledge of weed before taking on this project, [Dupay says] "All I knew about pot was that Jason Williams smoked a lot of it."

It's almost certainly a lie, but man, what a hilarious way to go about explaining it.