Father Makes Son Publicize His Drug Use

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A father says he wasn't trying to shame his 14-year-old son when he made the boy wear a large sandwich-board sign saying, "I abused and sold drugs."

"I'm not out here doing this to humiliate my son," the father told WATE-TV. "I'm doing this because I love him," he said.

The man wasn't identified by the station to protect the confidentiality of the son, but he appeared on camera. The son's face was not shown.

The father said he recently learned after reading the boy's MySpace page that his son was involved with marijuana and Oxy-Contin. That's when he decided to act, and the boy agreed to the punishment. After a short time, the school's principal soon came out and asked the father to call it off, which he did.