Costas calls for gun control on ‘Sunday Night Football’
NBC’s Bob Costas used his halftime commentary on “Sunday Night Football” to call for stricter gun control in the wake of the murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher.
In a 90-second statement, Costas quoted Fox Sports writer Jason Whitlock:
In the aftermath of the nearly unfathomable events in KC, that most mindless of sports cliches was heard yet again: Something like this really puts it all in perspective … You want some actual perspective on this? Well a bit of it comes from the Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock, with whom I do not always agree, but who today said it so well that we may as well just quote or paraphrase from the end of his article. “Our current gun culture,” Whitlock wrote, “ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead. Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it. … If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today.”
Costas surely knew his remarks would be inflammatory, and they were. Online reaction was swift, with many expressing outrage that he used a nationally televised football game to express his personal views. Others praised Costas for taking a stand. What do you think?
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265 comments Add your comment
Scott DeVries
December 4th, 2012
9:22 am
WTF Bob Costas??? Stick to sports broadcasting! This had nothing to do with guns! First thing anyone does after something like this is blame the “gun control laws”! This was a cowardly act preformed by a coward. Simple as that!
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 4th, 2012
11:08 am
@ Bubba Mack:
Please apologize to “Sniveling Idiots” everywhere!!!!
How would you like it if someone compared you to Costas!!
BUBBA MACK = Great Americab!!!!!!!!!
markov
December 4th, 2012
11:51 am
our #%#@^ criminals need to start obeying the #%%^@ gun laws! that will solve the problem!
Dum-Bass
December 4th, 2012
12:49 pm
I would sincerely hope that if BO, the government, courts, etc. ever passes a law to ban small firearms like I possess for protection, that they would send Costas to take mine. I would be willing to give him the ammo first then hand him the gun. After all, that’s what he came for, right?
Let’s assume for one minute(if possible) that there was no such thing as a gun, never had been invented, what would be the weapon of choice? Probably knives huh? Would they now be trying to ban such a useful tool even if it was being used for murdering people?
amfermee
December 4th, 2012
1:03 pm
my thoughts on Costas statements http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iENtJ6v-34
mark smith
December 4th, 2012
3:33 pm
I think these two played football without a helmet and a jockey strap.
Blue
December 4th, 2012
4:29 pm
David Fletcher; if you are still here, “Freedom of speech” is freedom from prosecution, jail, etc. It doesn’t give the freedom from people ridiculing you if you say something stupid.
richie
December 4th, 2012
4:44 pm
He is a tall miget that thinks he is someone important,he should be ran out of town.
Bobo
December 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Since when do idiot celebrities like Bob Costas feel like they have a right to share their opinion with the world as if it has some sort of extra credibility? I hope that the ‘gun control’ people have spiked the sale of firearms by nearly 200% by creating extra resentment from people like me, who have stocked up and armed themselves to the teeth out of spite. Likewise, I want to know how this makes me a COLD-BLOODED MURDERER like Belcher who made a conscious CHOICE to kill his girlfriend. This was not a ‘mistake’ nor was he a ‘great guy’ like ESPN is trying to make him. Guys like Costas need to have their man card permanently revoked. How is this guy a sportscaster anyway? He doesn’t look like he would know a jockstrap from a maxipad.
Dr tred
December 6th, 2012
8:11 am
Bob Costas is wrong to take up our valuable time which such lame rhetoric. He needs to go! Guns dont kill people. People kill people. Alcohol doesnt kill people, people who misuse alcohol, drive drunk and crash kill people. Knives dont kill people, people kill people using knives. etc…
The governments decison to take away guns from the citizens will only lead to more chaos, robberies, murders, rapes, home invasions etc…. I carry a concealed weapon and have a permit and have never thought of using my weapon to solve any dispute for that matter. I know the law and I know that weapon is to be used for self defense only. My weapon is to be used as a last resort when someone is trying to inflict bodily harm on me, my family or someone I am responsible for. The police will not help you when someone is committing a crime./ Only you can help you. The police will arrive 3-15 minutes later usually to cleanup the mess. Lets be sure the mes they come to clean up is the perpetrator NOT the victim.
God Bless America and the right for every citizen to bear arms when necessary.
Fair n Balanced
December 6th, 2012
8:17 am
Football players like this one shouldn’t have guns. Some of them just aren’t sophisticated enough to know how to handle them due to their passion for violence. That said, Costas comments are irrelevant. Talk about football on a football show.
BS Patrol
December 6th, 2012
2:18 pm
Nettering nabobs of negativism! Lawn Order!!
Japanese Sword Czar
December 6th, 2012
3:21 pm
Ban guns, go back to swords, they would make a more dramatic
impact for the liberals and NBC.
shankti
December 6th, 2012
3:23 pm
What weapon did Cain kill Able with?
Reired Vet
December 6th, 2012
5:25 pm
Does Costas have any on field sports history of any kind. I just can not believe he ever got his hair messed-up. Bet he sleeps with his head hanging off the bed so as not to spoil his hair. Does he seriously believe that a person with Belchers money could not have gotten a gun with any type of gun control in effect. Wake up costas and come live in the real world. You attempt to stay in the spotlight on shows your lack of everyday experience in the real world. TV is make believe hair boy.