We’re all familiar with the fact that one week ago, Jovan Belcher perished by his own hand after killing his girlfriend. Blame the gun, Bob did. No apologies. In fact, there is continued discussion of it, and it is seen as a societal problem, or a problem particularly for the NFL, that some 70% of the players own guns. The same conversation is going on in baseball. The Padres general manager worries over his players “involved with guns.”
San Diego Padres general manager Josh Byrnes, who lost one of his top pitchers, Andrew Cashner, for up to six months after a hunting accident last week, worries about the rash of baseball players who are involved with guns and hunting in the offseason.
“As a GM, I am concerned,” Byrnes said. “You’re dealing with young guys, and obviously, we can control things on the job, but away from it, we hope they make the right decisions.
“I don’t know if athletes are predisposed to guns or not, but it’s certainly something that concerns you.”
So over the week there were other poor decisions made among players in the NFL. A Dallas Cowboys player drove drunk and ended up killing a fellow player in a single car accident.
Costas inveighed again on Sunday night football concerning this week’s incident (it isn’t clear why he believes his opinion to be important). He remarked how strange it is that this sort of thing could happen when it is so easy to avoid the tragedy. Any player can call any time they feel that they are too impaired to drive.
And I suppose that this is analogous to the fact that any player can call for assistance when they feel that they are about to commit acts of violence. So why is the gun to blame for the death of Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, but alcohol to blame for the death of Jerry Brown?
The NFL or the team could prohibit players from driving and send chauffeurs to pick them up when transportation is required. How many NFL players own cars, Bob? How did you decide to blame the gun and not the car?
Prior:
Hi, I’m A Man And I Condone Wanton Violence
Does Bob Costas Really Know What His Problem Is?
