The Wizards Ban Butler's Mt. Dew Habit

Caron Butler, who plays for the Washington Wizards, used to be a heavy Mountain Dew drinker. But no longer! The Wizards laid down the law, banning him from drinking Mountain Dew. How did Caron feel about the ban? "I'm still upset but I know it is for my own good. The main reason is to get you off drinking soda during the course of the season. Obviously, it is just not good for you as an athlete." How much Mountain Dew did he used to drink?! "A lot," he said. "Before every game at Connecticut, I drank a two-liter of Mountain Dew. I'm dead serious. Ask my wife what she would have to go get me before a game. I'd be like, 'Hey, stop by the 7-11, bring me a two-liter.' " 2 liters?! "Yeah, I'd be wired," Butler confirmed. "I'd drink half [before the game], and then I'd drink half at halftime. Because, you know, it shoots you up. And then there's a down, and you're flat-lining, and you've got to go back up again. That's what I've been doing, but they don't want me to drink it any more. They done took my Mountain Dew from me." The ban went into effect in October of 2007. Still, he didn't seem too happy about the ban. He demonstrated the gravity of the situation, asking a team employee for a Mountain Dew. She told him that wasn't allowed, and offered him a water instead as media persons laughed. "Y'all think this is just a game; it's dead serious," he said. "I've got six refrigerators in the house. I used to have Mountain Dews filled in all of them. I don't have a Mountain Dew in my refrigerator no more. It's crazy, man."