NBC sportscaster Bob Costas went on a substantial riff urging stricter gun laws in the wake of a murder-suicide committed by former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher on Saturday. It sparked immediate heated discussion — most of which was backlash.
Costas centered his weekly "Sunday Night Football" monologue on a column by Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock, who is already a divisive figure in the sports media world. Costas told his viewers to get past the cliched media coverage of how Belcher's actions provide "perspective" and think about the broader scope of the crime.
He quoted lengthy passages from Whitlock's column:
Our current gun culture simply 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.
In the coming days, Belcher’s actions will be analyzed through the lens of concussions and head injuries. Who knows? Maybe brain damage triggered his violent overreaction to a fight with his girlfriend. What I believe is, if he didn’t possess/own a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.
Costas closed his monologue by emphasizing Whitlock's point.
''In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today," Costas said.
Costas was immediately criticized on Twitter for expressing personal views on "Sunday Night Football." A sampling of the reaction:
And from Eagles center Jason Kelce:
Here's full video of Costas' monologue:
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