In a flurry of backlash for his unsolicited comments on gun control in the aftermath of the murder-suicide of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Bob Costas has admitted to making a “mistake.”
“My mistake is I left it open for too much miscommunication,” Costas said on The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday night, referring to the 90-second segment during halftime where he said, ““If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.”
According to The New York Daily News, Costas said the lack of time he had to discuss the issue properly lead to the miscommunication:
“A discussion should ensue about the football culture, the gun culture, domestic violence… Those issues need to be discussed if we’re looking for some kind of elusive perspective,” he said on Patrick’s radio show.
As for his views on guns, Costas said: “Here’s where I stand: I do not want to see the Second Amendment repealed… People should be allowed to own guns for their own protection… (But) why do you need a semi-automatic weapon? What possible use is there?”
Costas was both criticized and praised for his pro-gun control stance, prompting some to call for his removal from NBC, while others support a continuing discussion on guns and the NFL.
SOURCE: NY Daily News
