Arenas apologizes for gun 'joke'

Gilbert Arenas says he took unloaded guns from his locker in the Washington Wizards arena in a "misguided effort to play a joke" on a teammate.

Arenas spoke with law enforcement officials on Monday, answering all questions he faced in a two-hour interview, his lawyer said.

Afterward, the NBA player issued a written statement in which he repeated his claim that he brought four firearms to the Verizon Center to store unloaded in his locker because he didn't want them in his house with his children.

The presence of the guns at the facility had already sparked a police investigation when the New York Post reported on Friday that Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other in a dispute over a gambling debt.

Arenas, who had previously said the report was overblown, said he took the unloaded guns out of his locker on December 21 "in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate."

"Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong," Arenas said. "I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there's no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns - even if unloaded.

"I am very sorry for the effect that my serious lapse in judgment has had on my team, my teammates, the National Basketball Association and its fans," Arenas said. "I want to apologize to everybody for letting them down with my conduct, and I promise to do better in the future."

Crittenton's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Monday that his client did nothing wrong. It wasn't clear whether Crittenton would also meet with investigators probing the incident.

NBA rules bar players from possessing firearms at league facilities or when traveling on league business.