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Oden embarrassed by nude photos

By Brian T. Smith
Published: January 27, 2010, 12:00am

More coverage on blazerbanter blog and on Twitter @blazerbanter.

TUALATIN, Ore. — They were the photographs that would not go away.

And so Trail Blazers center Greg Oden was forced to publicly address private nude photos of himself that made waves on the internet.

“I would like to apologize to everybody: Portland, fans, the organization,” said Oden, during a hastily arranged press conference Tuesday evening at the team’s practice facility. “It was very embarrassing. It was something that happened over a year and a half ago. … I’m very sorry, and I’m definitely embarrassed for my family and everybody around me.”

Walking with a brown wooden cane and wearing a red jumpsuit, a soft-spoken Oden answered questions about the photos for more than eight minutes.

He said he has severed his relationship with a “lady friend” who he originally sent the photos to, and added that he hopes that all traces of the revealing images will be removed from the Web.

“(They) were just for her, and definitely were meant to keep private,” Oden, 22, said.

Asked for his reaction when he first saw the photos, Oden said: “My heart dropped.”

BDA Sports Management, a publicity firm that represents Oden, issued a formal letter to several Web sites declaring that anyone displaying or passing along the images would face legal repercussions. However, Oden said he has no interest in pursuing judicial action.

“I really just want to move on from it,” Oden said.

He added: “To go that far, I really don’t think there’s (any) need to.”

But Oden did acknowledge that the situation could damage his reputation, while also hurting his relationship with current and future sponsorships.

As of Tuesday evening, though, Oden said he had not been dropped by any sponsors.

News about the photographs began spreading early Tuesday morning. By the early afternoon, the photos had made the rounds on the Web, been discussed on a variety of regional and national talk shows and television news outlets, and also been the subject of widespread humor and scorn on the internet.

By Tuesday evening, it was clear: The topic was gaining steam, not losing it. And the Blazers felt the best way to address the issue was by having Oden answer questions as soon as possible.

“It is the best for us just to come out and get it all out in the open and hear it from me before people start to talk and make up other stuff,” Oden said.

The 7-foot, 285-pound center stated that he received a phone call about 6 a.m. Tuesday informing him of the situation.

Normally, Oden said he hears about scandalous photos of him on the Web, only to quickly learn that they are fakes.

But these were real.

“When I actually got up and saw (them), it was very, very embarrassing and hurtful,” Oden said.

Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard briefly acknowledged Oden’s photos following a morning shootaround, referring to the situation as “disappointing.”

Pritchard said the Portland organization has gone to great lengths to warn its players about the downsides of new social media and the harm it can cause high-profile athletes such as Oden.

“You have to be careful with what you do and who you trust,” Oden said.

Oden had kept a low profile since his Dec. 5 injury, speaking in detail with the media only once and referring to his fractured patella as a “freak accident.” Oden said the incident will not be a distraction during his rehabilitation.

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