Obama praises NBA players for being good fathers

President Obama welcomed the Miami Heat(s) to the White House on Monday to commemorate their NBA championship title.  During his remarks with the team, the president commended the NBA players for taking "their roles as fathers seriously" -- a sentiment that struck me as a bit odd considering NBA players' reputation for being... well, players off the court, if you know what I mean.

WATCH:

"There’s a lot of focus on what happens on the court, but what’s also important is what happens off the court," said Obama. "And I don't know all these guys, but I do know LeBron and Dwayne and Chris. And one of the things I’m proudest of is that they take their roles as fathers seriously. And for all the young men out there who are looking up to them all the time, for them to see somebody who cares about their kids and is there for them day in and day out, that's a good message to send. It’s a positive message to send, and we’re very proud of them for that."

Obama specifically mentioned a few players by name: LeBron, Dwayne and Chris.  Now, I don't know LeBron, Dwayne and Chris in the personal way the president apparently does -- they may be good fathers, good husbands.  But compare Obama's comments with this infamous account from an anonymous NBA player published by ESPN after Tiger Woods' infamous infidelity surfaced:

I know NBA players who are, right at this moment, working more than 15 girls-married guys and ones with girlfriends. Guys at the highest levels. ...

Tiger, we feel you.

Our marriages are a lot harder to maintain than yours. We're on the road and in-demand. And when we do come home, we've been apart so long, one or both partners' have changed. After a while, you don't even know each other anymore. And when you're on the road as much as we are, our ladies are prone to wander, too. ...

In my mind, Woods f***** up in only one way: he didn't sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

I hope for everyone's sake that Obama is more correct on this issue than the conventional wisdom.