JABAHRI'S MOM: 'RULES ARE RULES'

NORMAN -- His distressed voice was enough. . Brown apologizes

"My heart just dropped," Yvonne Potter said.

Jabahri Brown's mother had flown from her home in the U.S. Virgin Islands
to watch him play basketball. But during a stopover in Atlanta last
Tuesday, Potter phoned him.

"Mommy," Brown said, "I've got some bad news."

A few hours later, she received unpleasant confirmation. While waiting for
her luggage at Will Rogers World Airport, Potter overheard a man talking
about her son. He said Oklahoma's senior center had been charged with
several drug-related felonies.

Turned out, it wasn't quite that bad -- at least not legally.

The next morning, Brown was charged with possession of marijuana and
possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors. But Friday afternoon,
OU coach Kelvin Sampson informed Brown and his family -- Potter and
Jabahri's father, Allan Brown -- the senior center would not play again for
the Sooners.

"I told them I love Jabahri," Sampson said. "But I couldn't let that cloud
my decision."

Father and son cried during the meeting, as did the coach. Jabahri Brown's
mother said she did not.

"I tried to be strong for them," Potter said. "I told coach Sampson, 'Rules
are rules,' regardless of whether they're his rules, NCAA rules or school
rules. Wherever you go in this world, you have rules. If you do something
wrong, you just have to abide by the rules."

Saturday night, Potter occupied a second-row, midcourt seat at the Lloyd
Noble Center. After the game, she participated in OU's ceremony to honor
two seniors, including her son.

"To know that Coach Sampson is still working with my son -- he's been like
a father to Jabahri -- I'm so grateful," Potter said. "At least I know
Jabahri's not in exile. (Sampson is) not throwing him aside. He's still
considering him a part of the team."

As he has since the news broke, Jabahri Brown declined interview requests
Saturday. But during the postgame ceremony, accompanied by loud, prolonged
applause and cheering, he apologized to fans for his actions.

"My deepest, deepest apologies to all of y'all for my actions the last
couple of days," Brown said. "I made a major mistake in my life, and it's
cost me a lot right now.

"And believe me, I will learn from this. I hope a lot of others learn from
this, too."

Sampson said, "That was a powerful moment."

And perhaps the most positive for Brown in a week of turmoil.

Brown's mother agreed to an interview on Saturday afternoon because, she
said, she believed the image that has been portrayed of her son this week
is unfair and inaccurate.

"He's not that type of child," she said. "Jabahri is a good child. He's
very loving. Very kind. He'd help anyone. He pours out his heart to everyone."

Potter said Brown understands his mistake. Again. After Brown was charged
with the same offenses last May, resulting in a lengthy offseason
suspension, Potter said she admonished him.

"If you're doing it, you've got to stop," she told him. "Where you are now,
you don't want to jeopardize your schooling, you don't want to jeopardize
your life. If you're doing it, stop.

"Get yourself together, finish your schooling, do what you've got to do."

Potter has given her son the same advice this week. And she said he is
remorseful.

"He knows he made a huge mistake," she said. "Even though it was a little
piece (of marijuana), it was still a mistake. He knows he has to pay for
his mistake by the punishment."

According to search warrant documents, Norman police suspected Brown had
received marijuana and packaged "the illegal substance for resale
purposes." During the search, police found small amounts of marijuana and
marijuana residue, cigarette rolling papers, a 2004 "High Times" calendar
and "several photographs depicting marijuana plants and Jabahri Brown
rolling marijuana cigarettes."

But Potter said the documents didn't accurately depict her son.

"Jabahri has never grown marijuana in his life. But because someone sees
pictures on a wall or on a calendar? We have a lot of pictures like that in
St. Thomas. A lot of kids buy pictures like that.

"That doesn't mean that you grow it. That doesn't mean that you sell it."

Potter planned the trip to Norman so she could watch OU play Texas A&M and
Baylor. The games would have been the second and third she attended in
Brown's college career -- the only other was OU's loss to Indiana in the
Final Four two years ago.

Wednesday night, Potter wore her son's jersey to OU's game with Texas A&M.
He didn't attend, but he asked her to go.

"He said, 'Mommy, since I can't go to the game, represent me,' " Potter said.

Afterward, she met with Sampson for a few moments.

"I just broke down and cried," Potter said. "I was ready to get (Brown) out
of Oklahoma and just take him home. But talking to Coach Sampson and the
other coaches kind of calmed me down."

Since arriving, the family has stuck close to the Norman duplex Brown
shares with fellow OU senior Jason Detrick.

"One of us is crying every day," Potter said. "It's hard, and it hurts."

But on Thursday night, Brown and his parents ate dinner at the Golden
Corral restaurant in Norman. Another customer approached their table,
paused, and then patted Potter on the back.

"I guess he just didn't know what to say," she said. "He just said,
'Everything is gonna be all right. Just keep praying.' "

Moments later, the man returned with his son, who asked Brown for an
autograph and told him he would remain a fan.

"We couldn't eat any more," Potter said. "The tears started coming from
Jabahri's eyes. His father's eyes started to water, as well."

Potter said her son is determined to complete the six hours necessary to
graduate in May with a degree in African-American studies.

"We told Jabahri, 'The ball is in your court,' " Potter said. "It's all up
to him now."

Potter has one more trip to Norman on the schedule. On May 8 -- one day
before Mother's Day -- she intends to watch Brown graduate.

"He is sorry for what happened," she said of Brown. "It happened, but he
still has a lot of life ahead of him. He has to pick up the pieces and keep
going."