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Dec. 26, 2003, 8:35AM
More NFL players turn to guns for protection
By MIKE FREEMAN
New York Times
Toward the end of his 19 years in the NFL, offensive tackle Lomas Brown noticed something that startled even a hardened veteran. It seemed as if almost every player he knew in the NFL owned a gun. Brown said he saw guns everywhere. On team flights. In locker rooms. In players' cars. In training camp dormitory rooms.
"I think the vast majority of players in the NFL have guns," said Brown, who retired at the end of last season. "Just about every guy I played with in the NFL had a gun. Almost every player I knew had one. Guns are rampant in football. You have all these players packing guns wherever they go. It's a disaster waiting to happen."
Many people in the NFL share Brown's view, according to interviews with more than 25 players, owners, team executives and agents in recent weeks. Weapons, including military-style assault rifles, can be found in players' homes and cars, and even sometimes in their lockers, the players, executives and owners said.
But at a time when possessing guns has become increasingly common, many players said, they are not searched rigorously when entering stadiums and practice complexes.
Professional football, like other sports, has significantly increased security at stadiums since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Fans are screened for weapons as they enter the gates, with security personnel routinely patting them down and checking their belongings. League officials declined to discuss how many guns or other weapons have been confiscated during these searches.
Many players said, however, that they are seldom searched on the day of games, although their bags and cars were screened carefully in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11.
Nor are the players monitored as they come and go during the week, making it relatively simple for players to leave guns in cars parked outside stadiums or to bring them into locker rooms, a number of players said.
A league spokesman, Greg Aiello, maintained that players' bags are searched on game days. The NFL has a broad policy that firmly discourages gun ownership and prohibits players from bringing guns to team facilities. League officials say they think the policy has been successful.
More NFL players turn to guns for protection
By MIKE FREEMAN
New York Times
Toward the end of his 19 years in the NFL, offensive tackle Lomas Brown noticed something that startled even a hardened veteran. It seemed as if almost every player he knew in the NFL owned a gun. Brown said he saw guns everywhere. On team flights. In locker rooms. In players' cars. In training camp dormitory rooms.
"I think the vast majority of players in the NFL have guns," said Brown, who retired at the end of last season. "Just about every guy I played with in the NFL had a gun. Almost every player I knew had one. Guns are rampant in football. You have all these players packing guns wherever they go. It's a disaster waiting to happen."
Many people in the NFL share Brown's view, according to interviews with more than 25 players, owners, team executives and agents in recent weeks. Weapons, including military-style assault rifles, can be found in players' homes and cars, and even sometimes in their lockers, the players, executives and owners said.
But at a time when possessing guns has become increasingly common, many players said, they are not searched rigorously when entering stadiums and practice complexes.
Professional football, like other sports, has significantly increased security at stadiums since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Fans are screened for weapons as they enter the gates, with security personnel routinely patting them down and checking their belongings. League officials declined to discuss how many guns or other weapons have been confiscated during these searches.
Many players said, however, that they are seldom searched on the day of games, although their bags and cars were screened carefully in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11.
Nor are the players monitored as they come and go during the week, making it relatively simple for players to leave guns in cars parked outside stadiums or to bring them into locker rooms, a number of players said.
A league spokesman, Greg Aiello, maintained that players' bags are searched on game days. The NFL has a broad policy that firmly discourages gun ownership and prohibits players from bringing guns to team facilities. League officials say they think the policy has been successful.
