That’s why I always go to the schools and talk to kids. There aren’t many players coming back to my neighborhood so I wanted to do that. So now that I’ve made it, I like to go back to my neighborhood and show those that got caught up in the streets or didn’t make it out that there’s another way. Watching my Mom made me want to be strong and go even harder. So when I got to college, I did what I needed to do to graduate in less than four years and kept at it when I didn’t get drafted to accomplish my dream of playing in the NBA. My mom worked hard when I was growing up and it made me want to work hard.

MD: Look, I grew up in a rough neighborhood and I stayed away from stuff like that. SLAM: What do you say to people who say that you at least know gang members? I respect myself, my family and my fans, especially the kids who look up to me, too much for that. I would never put myself in that kind of situation. To even say that I’m in a gang is absurd. Where are they getting that from? People are always searching for something negative to say. Who doesn’t shorten words in their text messages? And to say I replace the letter “C” with the letter “K” is crazy. SLAM: What about the messages where you allegedly replaced the letter “C” with the letter “K?” So just because I like the color red that makes me affiliated? That makes no sense to me. You want to know why I wear a lot of red? It’s simple. SLAM: So what’s with the red bandana and gang signs in the pictures? Are you really in a gang? SLAMonline caught up with the Orlando native to talk about a few Cs: controversy, Celtics and (Sir) Charles. Daniels, however, didn’t take kindly to the allegations and wanted to go on record to refute them. Hell, there’s even a friggin’ reality show, The Basketball Wives, which basically tarred and feathered players’ reputations in the League, so Daniels getting raked over the coals for his Twitter page is par for the course. Gossip mongering about NBA players is nothing new. The accusations grew legs and multiple blogs lobbed grenades Daniels’ way, blasting the seven-year guard for wearing red and replacing the letter “C” in words with the letter “K,” a practice used by Bloods members to avoiding using the letter “C” because of their enmity for the rival Crips gang. A well-known gossip site posted the pics with the tagline: “Soo Woop!! We got some more pics of NBA Superstar Marquis Daniels…this time throwing up gang signs…and holding a red bandana!!!” Seems that the former Auburn standout was in a few pictures allegedly throwing gang signs and holding a red “flag,” the calling card of the notoriously violent Bloods street gang. Their latest victim? Marquis Daniels of the Boston Celtics.

By Maurice Bobb / the weekend, the gossip blogs were once again holding court in the Tweets.

Vice lords gang signs