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60 MINUTES
Air Date: Sunday, October 23, 2005
Time Slot: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM EST on CBS
Episode Title: "N/A"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

MICHAEL JORDAN TELLS ED BRADLEY HE WENT OVER THE LINE IN GAMBLING SITUATIONS BUT WASN'T COMPULSIVE, JUST "STUPID" -- "60 MINUTES" SUNDAY ON CBS

Michael Jordan tells Ed Bradley he went over the line in his gambling to the point of being stupid, but never was a compulsive gambler who would have jeopardized his livelihood or his family. The rare and candid interview -- his first major sit-down for television in years -- will be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Oct. 23 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Jordan also discusses his business, his love of basketball, the murder of his father and his quest for more privacy.

"Yeah, I've gotten myself into [gambling] situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope," he tells Bradley. He says the gambling is directly related to his fierce competitiveness. "I want to go out on a limb and win and sometimes that can take you past the stage where�you know you should probably take a step back from," says Jordan. "But my drive to win is so great�I just step over that line�and I feel the lack of success. It's very embarrassing�one of the things you totally regret. So you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'I was stupid,'" he tells Bradley.

But being a compulsive gambler is another line, one Jordan says he won't cross. "Is [my gambling] compulsive? It depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah [it is compulsive]. No. [I'm not willing to do that]," he says.

Jordan also addresses critics who expected him to be more political and outspoken, like other larger-than-life black athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson. "It's heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody�.My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can," he tell Bradley. "People may not agree with that�.I can't live with what everyone's impression of what I should or what I shouldn't do."

Jordan has written a new book, Driven from Within, published by Atria, a division of Simon & Schuster, which, like CBS, is Viacom company.

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