News item: Former Cowboys and Oilers center Mark Stepnoski recently was named to the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. As a spokesman for NORML and also the president of the organization's Texas chapter, Stepnoski will advocate the decriminalization of marijuana.

	With his NFL career over, Mark Stepnoski is finally able to let his hair down.

Every citizen needs a cause. Every cause needs a voice. Here at Page 2, we applaud athletes like Stepnoski, individuals who aren't afraid to take an active role in our nation's democratic process.

In fact, we'd like to suggest a few more athlete/organization pairings, such as:

Damien Robinson
Organization: American Chiropractic Association.

Credentials: Gave New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks a massive head-and-neck, um, "adjustment" during a Sunday night game last season.

Sound bite: "Chiropractic medicine: If it's good enough for an NFL quarterback, it's good enough for you."

Allen Iverson
Organization: National Association of Police Organizations.

Credentials: Said during a recent interview that he was scared to live in Philadelphia because "Allen Iverson could wind up dead tomorrow if a crooked cop wants him dead."

	Iverson was money against Toronto, but a back back is haunting him now.

Sound bite: "Support your local police department. It just might save your life."

Kwame Brown
Organization: The National Motorists Association, which lobbied for the 1996 repeal of the 55-mph national speed limit.

Credentials: Arrested for driving 120 mph in a 60-mph zone.

Sound bite: "Fifty-five? I can't drive 75. America needs an autobahn."

Barry Switzer
Organization: The National Rile Association.

Credentials: Arrested in 1997 after police found a loaded revolver in his carry-on bag at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Sound bite: "If guns are outlawed, then only outlaw football coaches will have guns."

Hulk Hogan
Organization: National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.

Credentials: His 24-inch pythons, clearly the result of, er, "vitamin" use.

Sound bite: (While testifying on Capitol Hill) "Brother Chairman, whatchoo gonna do when the NAPM runs wild on you?"

	Michael Irvin could join his former Cowboy teammate Stepnoski as a model citizen.

Michael Irvin
Organization: The Free Speech Coalition, an adult entertainment industry trade group.

Credentials: A 1996 police search of a hotel room party involving Irvin and two topless dancers revealed drugs, drug paraphernalia and sex toys.

Sound bite: "When it comes to toys, why should kids have all the fun?"

Todd Marinovich
Organization: The Sierra Club.

Credentials: Arrested for growing a pot plant in his house in 1996.

Sound bite: "Let's keep the planet green. And leafy."

John Rocker
Organization: The Rainbow Coalition.

Credentials: His all-inclusive 1999 rant on race relations in contemporary American society.

Sound bite: "Kids with purple hair, queers with AIDS, Asian women who can't drive, some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, some 20-year-old mom with four kids, fat monkeys and certain people who bother me -- in our great nation, they all deserve a place at the table."

Thomas Jones
Organization: American Association of People with Disabilities.

Credentials: Broke his right hand while answering the telephone at home, an injury that forced him to forego $150,000 in salary and miss the final five games of the season.

Sound bite: "Ouch!"

	"Hey, Tiger. Don't forget that animals need a little TLC, too."

Mike Tyson
Organization: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Credentials: Spent $8,100 on the care and feeding of his pet tigers for the months of May and June.

Sound bite: "Tigers are people, too."

Chris Childs
Organization: National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

Credentials: Was suspended by the New Jersey Nets during the preseason for being, well, pudgy.

Sound bite: "Real men have curves."

Rickey Henderson
Organization: American Mathematical Society.

Credentials: When asked about the allegation that 50 percent of Major League Baseball players are on steroids, responded: "Well, I'm not, so that's 49 percent right there."

	Jennifer Capriati might need to get a little more familiar with women's issues.

Sound bite: "Math genius is one percent inspiration, 95 percent perspiration."

Jennifer Capriati
Organization: Independent Women's Forum, a conservative, anti-feminist organization.

Credentials: When asked about Title IX, Capriati replied: "I have no idea what Title IX is."

Sound bite: "I have no idea what Augusta National is, either."

Nate Newton
Organization: The Marijuana Policy Project, a group working to decriminalize marijuana use.

Credentials: Arrested with 213 pounds of pot in his van.

Sound bite: "Here at MPP, we have a single, central tenet: The greatest harm associated with marijuana is prison. Trust me on that one."

Patrick Hruby is a sportswriter for the Washington Times. You can reach him at phrub@yahoo.com.