Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant has been criticized for telling reporters following the team's Game Four loss that the best way to deal with the defeat was to drink it off, according to The Standard-Times.

He has drawn the ire of the national director of Students Against Destructive Decisions for his comments.

"Whine about it tonight. A lot of wine ... a lot of beer, a couple of shots ? maybe like 20 of them. Digest it, get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do," he said at a press conference Thursday night after L.A.'s demoralizing 97-91 loss to Boston.

The comments are widely thought to be light-hearted, but that hasn't kept people from criticizing Bryant.

"Tongue-in-cheek or not, his comments send a terrible message to young people who see these athletes as role models," said Stephen Wallace, national chairman and CEO of SADD (formerly Students Against Driving Drunk). "I think it only adds to the terribly mixed message our society sends to young people about alcohol."