NFL player kills girlfriend, drives to stadium and commits suicide

[painter]

No doubt. Having the handgun right there makes it real easy to give in to murderous rage. You get mad, feel like killing someone and before the thought gets all the way through your head you've pulled the trigger nine times and it's too late to actually think things through.

Getting up close and personal with your hands, a knife, or some other weapon takes a hell of a lot more balls and determination so no one can say if he would've killed her or just beat her up. I just thought it was in bad taste for some millionaire talking head who lives in a privileged bubble to pronounce judgement on a violent situation he has no knowledge or understanding of.

To say she wouldn't have died from being shot if there wasn't a gun is like blaming 9/11 on airplanes. If he killed her with a knife do we have to get rid of all knives? Of course not.

 

[Timoteo]

No doubt. Having the handgun right there makes it real easy to give in to murderous rage. You get mad, feel like killing someone and before the thought gets all the way through your head you've pulled the trigger nine times and it's too late to actually think things through.

Getting up close and personal with your hands, a knife, or some other weapon takes a hell of a lot more balls and determination so no one can say if he would've killed her or just beat her up. I just thought it was in bad taste for some millionaire talking head who lives in a privileged bubble to pronounce judgement on a violent situation he has no knowledge or understanding of.

To say she wouldn't have died from being shot if there wasn't a gun is like blaming 9/11 on airplanes. If he killed her with a knife do we have to get rid of all knives? Of course not.

The fault I find with this argument is that planes and knives weren't and aren't made for the sole purpose of killing people. Dynamite was invented for mining, but we use it to kill also. The same when people make the argument about how many people die in auto accidents, etc. Cars are built for transportation, and people die in ACCIDENTS involving automobiles. You made the point yourself - guns are made for the sole purpose of killing.

The bottom line is all members of the media are going to discuss this, and have their own opinions about the incident. It's news. The only way the media can show true "respect" to the families is to not attempt to contact them directly, and give them some peace in that sense. However, to expect that media members not to discuss it isn't realistic - it's what they do. What knowledge of this incident do ANY of us have? What does it matter what Costas earns, or how he lives? The only two people that were there, and knew exactly what went down are gone. That pretty much disqualifies any and everyone else from having an opinion on this.

 

[rearman]

The fault I find with this argument is that planes and knives weren't and aren't made for the sole purpose of killing people. Dynamite was invented for mining, but we use it to kill also. The same when people make the argument about how many people die in auto accidents, etc. Cars are built for transportation, and people die in ACCIDENTS involving automobiles. You made the point yourself - guns are made for the sole purpose of killing.

While guns can be used to take a life, guns also save lives.

The worst mass murders the world has seen have occurred after the victims were disarmed.

 

[OGNorCal707]

Assman you only seem to pop up on the forum and post on threads about gun rights? What's your deal bro, do you contribute to the forum in any other way?

 

[rearman]

Assman you only seem to pop up on the forum and post on threads about gun rights?

And you seem to forum stalk me when I do.

 

[OGNorCal707]

Assman you only seem to pop up on the forum and post on threads about gun rights?

And you seem to forum stalk me when I do.

Naw, I'm just calling you out, because your posts seem kind of trollish... :troll:

Aren't there NRA and gun rights forums you can stick to?

 

[Screwston]

Timoteo are you against non felons being able to legally have firearms?

 

[painter]

It's true, he had the gun and he killed her. I'm sure the last thing he ever thought about when he got it was using it on the mother of his kid or himself. He thought it would be used to protect the things he loved. I don't know the gun laws of his state and how strict or lax they are. I do know that if you fuck up they take your guns away. Unfortunately he went so far overboard that it's too late to see he didn't have the strong character or responsibity required to own a handgun.

Bob Costas and the sportswriters are in the business of selling advertising so obviously they're going to speak and write off the top of their heads (or out the bottom of their asses) about whatever happens. For them, this situation is merely an opportunity to flap their gums and take up space and cash their paycheck at the end of the week. They put as much thought and sensitivity into what they said as the guy who pulled the trigger. Okay maybe a little more, but not much, they are on a deadline after all and us idiot commoners require their precious opinion in between Pizza Hut commercials. Some people have no problem boosting their careers on the blood of others, more power to them, I just think it's crude.

 

[Timoteo]

Timoteo are you against non felons being able to legally have firearms?

Yes, I'm fine with non-felons being able to own. That's why waiting periods are necessary to be able to run the proper checks. At the same time, just because someone hasn't committed a crime before, it doesn't mean they're necessarily responsible enough to own. That's the part of the equation that's always going to be a dice roll. Young, hotheaded athletes and guns don't always mix well...HA HA!

 

[Cincinnatus]

Most sports television announcers are shitty. I usually watch football/baseball/hockey games on TV and listen to the radio broadcast. Frequently the commentary team is better and bullshits less.

 

[Timoteo]

It's true, he had the gun and he killed her. I'm sure the last thing he ever thought about when he got it was using it on the mother of his kid or himself. He thought it would be used to protect the things he loved. I don't know the gun laws of his state and how strict or lax they are. I do know that if you fuck up they take your guns away. Unfortunately he went so far overboard that it's too late to see he didn't have the strong character or responsibity required to own a handgun.

Bob Costas and the sportswriters are in the business of selling advertising so obviously they're going to speak and write off the top of their heads (or out the bottom of their asses) about whatever happens. For them, this situation is merely an opportunity to flap their gums and take up space and cash their paycheck at the end of the week. They put as much thought and sensitivity into what they said as the guy who pulled the trigger. Okay maybe a little more, but not much, they are on a deadline after all and us idiot commoners require their precious opinion in between Pizza Hut commercials. Some people have no problem boosting their careers on the blood of others, more power to them, I just think it's crude.

This is an incredibly cynical view, but fine. I really don't think Bob Costas needs to "boost" his career. He's already one of the most highly-regarded people in his profession. Costas' opinion is no more or less valid because of the business he's in, and because he and others attached to that business make money. Yes, news is both about journalism AND entertainment. If you don't believe that Costas and those like him should be able to voice an opinion, who in your opinion should? It's the job of the journalist to sit around and think about the issues of the day, and then talk and write about them. That's what they do, 24/7. What's crude about that? To me, crude would have been to speculate on what she may or may not have done to cause him to shoot her - namely, blaming the victim. THAT would have been incredibly insensitive to her family. But to discuss ways in which her death could have been avoided? To me, that's expressing regret and sorrow at what happened.

 

[Enigma]

I mean you can argue gun control all you want in regards to this case while forgetting that Sean Taylor was shot dead in his own home in front of his girlfriend and daughter just 5 years ago.

These athletes are targets who deserve the right to protect themselves. Bob Costas has the right to his opinion even though I believe it's ignorant to use this particular case as evidence while ignoring the fact that more NFL players have been murdered in recent years than have committed murder.

 

[Timoteo]

I mean you can argue gun control all you want in regards to this case while forgetting that Sean Taylor was shot dead in his own home in front of his girlfriend and daughter just 5 years ago.

These athletes are targets who deserve the right to protect themselves. Bob Costas has the right to his opinion even though I believe it's ignorant to use this particular case as evidence while ignoring the fact that more NFL players have been murdered in recent years than have committed murder.

See my responses in post #'s 60 and 69. Costas wasn't ignorant. We all form our opinions based on our own world view and experiences. As a black man, my opinion on guns leans towards limiting gun ownership because any stat you point to says I'M more likely to get shot than a white male would, just because I'm black. That's indisputable. Does that make my opinion ignorant, or is that simply my reality? Food for thought.

My only issue with the NRA is their extreme position regarding safety. They're against waiting periods and checks, and don't seem to care if criminals can LEGALLY get handguns (sure, they can get them in other ways, but that's no reason to eliminate at least one method of acquiring a gun). They're also against manufacturers provided locks for guns. I'm not against law-abiding citizens owning handguns for their homes and rifles to hunt, but they lose a lot of credibility by being against safety measures and attempts to assure ex-cons can't get the easiest possible access. The language of the second amendment doesn't guarantee you the right to get a firearm the same day...HA HA!

 

[beta_plus]

Let's try to keep it to hypergamy making girls greedy sluts and away from gun control, guys.

 

[painter]

You're right, it is a cynical view. And I'm not arguing with you at all that these people shouldn't be allowed to have and voice their opinions. Obviously this situation is way outside of what they normally discuss in regard to sports reporting.

And maybe it is a bit extreme to say they're profiting from the blood of dead people. Nobody would care if the guy walked an old lady across the street, but they see a murder/suicide as a ratings bonanza and these leeches play it up for as much mileage as they can get out of it. That's pretty cynical too, especially when you make money off it.

I was watching the game, Costas came on between commercials at halftime and I couldn't help but think how inappropriate it was. Sunday night football is not the proper forum to present one side of a highly charged political issue. The only appropriate thing for him to say in that spot is that NBC cares about the families. Nobody gives a fuck what he cares about gun control, abortion, gay rights or anything else besides sports, otherwise he'd be the male Oprah.

Whatever opinion he has is fine by me, but I'm not tuning in to the football game to have it shoved down my throat so he can feel good about himself.

 

[Timoteo]

You're right, it is a cynical view. And I'm not arguing with you at all that these people shouldn't be allowed to have and voice their opinions. Obviously this situation is way outside of what they normally discuss in regard to sports reporting.

And maybe it is a bit extreme to say they're profiting from the blood of dead people. Nobody would care if the guy walked an old lady across the street, but they see a murder/suicide as a ratings bonanza and these leeches play it up for as much mileage as they can get out of it. That's pretty cynical too, especially when you make money off it.

I was watching the game, Costas came on between commercials at halftime and I couldn't help but think how inappropriate it was. Sunday night football is not the proper forum to present one side of a highly charged political issue. The only appropriate thing for him to say in that spot is that NBC cares about the families. Nobody gives a fuck what he cares about gun control, abortion, gay rights or anything else besides sports, otherwise he'd be the male Oprah.

Whatever opinion he has is fine by me, but I'm not tuning in to the football game to have it shoved down my throat so he can feel good about himself.

I think you've just touched on the distinction between the play-by-play man and analyst that sits in the booth, and the studio/talk host that fills the time before the game, at half-time, and the post-game show. I agree that the guy in the booth should express condolences and then call the game. But the guy in the studio has more leeway. At that moment, there's no game being played. That's also the time they show other features, etc. and focus on the players and their families as men - they fill that time with lots of human interest pieces like doing profiles of players who have sick children and those types of things. It's the journalistic side of the business. Costas does more of that type of work than calling games. I think with journalism in general, we're way past the point of expecting detachment and impartiality - journos are more free now to inject their opinions, and they have more outlets to do so with social media in addition to radio and tv shows. As a New Yorker, I've been reading Mike Lupica's column for as long as I can remember. In the age of ESPN, he and many sportswriters nationwide have also become tv personalities. Frankly, I find most of them annoying, Lupica included. I appreciated them much more when all I knew about them was what they wrote about in their sports columns, and maybe occasionally hearing their voices on radio. In the past few years, Lupica has also been writing a regular politics column in the NY Daily News. The comments section is always full of attacks, stating Lupica should shut up, stick to sports, etc. etc. Those are silly responses in my view. Who are any of us to tell Lupica he can't have opinions or write about subjects other than sports? Why would we assume he isn't a politically aware citizen? Again, it boils down to whether or not someone agrees with that opinion. If they don't agree, they lash out and say he should be writing about the subject at all, instead of simply challenging the opinion. Lupica happens to have the platform of a newspaper to publish his opinions, and his employer allows him to use it, even though he's writing about a different subject matter than he traditionally has. It isn't being forced on us. We don't have to watch the halftime studio show, or the pre or post-game. That's when I get up to get something to eat, go to the bathroom, etc.

 

[lavidaloca]

You Americans and your guns. Guns are ridiculous. They should not be ownable by the public. If caught with one it should be life imprisonment with sole proof that the gun was in your possession. Its ridiculous. You guys who are arguing about athletes should have the right to protect themselves. These guys in the NFL are like 250-400 pounds. Guns are ridiculous. I'm so happy we don't have those in the 2 places I live.

 

[painter]

Timoteo this has been a good conversation and you nailed it in your last post. I disagreed with what he said and lost respect for him while you respected him for stating his opinion. I don't think we disagree on gun rights and if we do that's not what we were discussing and we both stuck to the topic of what was said on the halftime show and whether it was appropriate or not. It's nice to have a discussion here that doesn't get nasty or degenerate into personal attacks.

I totally see where you're coming from. I'm a guy who rarely watches tv news because it's all sensationalized entertainment for ratings with a bit of information thrown in. I don't like bad news, I don't want to hear about people getting killed or committing suicide or that kind of bullshit because a tv station is trying to manipulate me into watching hamburger commercials. They make the world out to be a lot worse than it really is, but hey, that's the down side of a free society with a 24 hour news cycle!

 

[Enigma]

I mean you can argue gun control all you want in regards to this case while forgetting that Sean Taylor was shot dead in his own home in front of his girlfriend and daughter just 5 years ago.

These athletes are targets who deserve the right to protect themselves. Bob Costas has the right to his opinion even though I believe it's ignorant to use this particular case as evidence while ignoring the fact that more NFL players have been murdered in recent years than have committed murder.

See my responses in post #'s 60 and 69. Costas wasn't ignorant. We all form our opinions based on our own world view and experiences. As a black man, my opinion on guns leans towards limiting gun ownership because any stat you point to says I'M more likely to get shot than a white male would, just because I'm black. That's indisputable. Does that make my opinion ignorant, or is that simply my reality? Food for thought.

My only issue with the NRA is their extreme position regarding safety. They're against waiting periods and checks, and don't seem to care if criminals can LEGALLY get handguns (sure, they can get them in other ways, but that's no reason to eliminate at least one method of acquiring a gun). They're also against manufacturers provided locks for guns. I'm not against law-abiding citizens owning handguns for their homes and rifles to hunt, but they lose a lot of credibility by being against safety measures and attempts to assure ex-cons can't get the easiest possible access. The language of the second amendment doesn't guarantee you the right to get a firearm the same day...HA HA!

I don't disagree with you on gun control. I honestly didn't even hear Costas' statements on the issue. My point is you can't take this one case as evidence that people shouldn't legally own guns while ignoring instances where athletes are robbed, shot, stabbed, etc.