Anthony's lawyer says marijuana charge may be dropped

"He was devastated to learn there was marijuana left in the backpack," Recht said.

Frank Moya, Cunningham's attorney, said he was skeptical before speaking with Cunningham but believed his story after spending "a lot of time" with him and "putting him under the scope."

"He felt awful, and he felt he needed to try to protect against someone else paying for his mistake," Moya said.

The charismatic Anthony led Syracuse to an NCAA title as a freshman in 2003, then was the third overall pick in the draft. He helped the Nuggets to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history, from the league's worst record at 17-65 to reaching the playoffs last year for the first time since 1995.

There also have been some growing pains.

Anthony refused to go back into a game last season after his teammates complained about his shot selection and he was relegated to the bench at the Athens Games after U.S. coach Larry Brown called him a selfish player.

Anthony also was involved in a scuffle at a New York bar after someone reportedly spit on his girlfriend, MTV host La La Vasquez. He said the incident was blown out of proportion.