Seems like Roger Goodell needs to tell NFL players to keep their guns at home as well.
A tower of power, he stands 7 feet 1 inch, weighs 325 pounds, and bears a tattoo of Superman's signature "S" on his massive left arm. Yet NBA great Shaquille O'Neal protects himself off the basketball court with more than his physical might and inky bond with the Man of Steel.
He is licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
So are many other American sports figures, including NBA stars Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, NFL standouts Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and Daunte Culpepper, and New York Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano, according to players and a Globe review of concealed weapon permits in states where the names of license holders are public record.
In an era in which rich and famous athletes increasingly perceive danger in the worlds they inhabit, legions have armed themselves against muggers, carjackers, jewelry-snatchers, and various other predators they consider potential threats. Players and team officials estimated a vast majority of NBA and NFL athletes carry firearms -- legally or illegally -- and that the number of handgun owners among them has reached an all-time high.
Handgun ownership is much less prevalent in Major League Baseball and rare in the National Hockey League.
"I would say about 90 percent of players in the league have guns to protect themselves," said New England Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney, who holds a Texas license to carry a concealed weapon.
In the NBA, the figure "is closer to 100 percent than it is to 50 [percent]," said a team official who requested anonymity.
By adding handguns to their evening accessories, athletes not only have raised the stakes in their pursuit of personal security but may have increased the likelihood they could face criminal charges, as Gaffney learned last summer.
Gaffney is one of at least 27 elite athletes who have been investigated in the last 21 months for incidents involving firearms, according to news reports. He was charged after a traffic stop in New Jersey in June with illegal possession of a handgun (nearly 30 states honor concealed weapons permits from Texas, but New Jersey is not among them).
While Gaffney's case unfolded peacefully, some professional athletes fear the potential consequences of the proliferation of handguns in their ranks. Last month, police seized pistols from three Indiana Pacers and charged one, Stephen Jackson, with felony criminal recklessness after Jackson allegedly fired five shots in the air during an early-morning fight outside an Indianapolis strip club. All three players -- Jackson, Marquis Daniels, and Jamaal Tinsley -- were licensed in Indiana to carry concealed weapons.
The rest of the article can be found @ http://www.boston.com/sports/other_...players_regard_firearm_as_a_necessity?mode=PF
A tower of power, he stands 7 feet 1 inch, weighs 325 pounds, and bears a tattoo of Superman's signature "S" on his massive left arm. Yet NBA great Shaquille O'Neal protects himself off the basketball court with more than his physical might and inky bond with the Man of Steel.
He is licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
So are many other American sports figures, including NBA stars Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, NFL standouts Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and Daunte Culpepper, and New York Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano, according to players and a Globe review of concealed weapon permits in states where the names of license holders are public record.
In an era in which rich and famous athletes increasingly perceive danger in the worlds they inhabit, legions have armed themselves against muggers, carjackers, jewelry-snatchers, and various other predators they consider potential threats. Players and team officials estimated a vast majority of NBA and NFL athletes carry firearms -- legally or illegally -- and that the number of handgun owners among them has reached an all-time high.
Handgun ownership is much less prevalent in Major League Baseball and rare in the National Hockey League.
"I would say about 90 percent of players in the league have guns to protect themselves," said New England Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney, who holds a Texas license to carry a concealed weapon.
In the NBA, the figure "is closer to 100 percent than it is to 50 [percent]," said a team official who requested anonymity.
By adding handguns to their evening accessories, athletes not only have raised the stakes in their pursuit of personal security but may have increased the likelihood they could face criminal charges, as Gaffney learned last summer.
Gaffney is one of at least 27 elite athletes who have been investigated in the last 21 months for incidents involving firearms, according to news reports. He was charged after a traffic stop in New Jersey in June with illegal possession of a handgun (nearly 30 states honor concealed weapons permits from Texas, but New Jersey is not among them).
While Gaffney's case unfolded peacefully, some professional athletes fear the potential consequences of the proliferation of handguns in their ranks. Last month, police seized pistols from three Indiana Pacers and charged one, Stephen Jackson, with felony criminal recklessness after Jackson allegedly fired five shots in the air during an early-morning fight outside an Indianapolis strip club. All three players -- Jackson, Marquis Daniels, and Jamaal Tinsley -- were licensed in Indiana to carry concealed weapons.
The rest of the article can be found @ http://www.boston.com/sports/other_...players_regard_firearm_as_a_necessity?mode=PF
