NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas says it was a “mistake” to mention gun control on air Sunday in discussing the murder-suicide committed by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher because his choice of words “left it open for too much miscommunication,” reports USA Today. Costas, during a Sunday Night Football halftime, quoted Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock and said, “If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.”
Costas said the main reason he believes his comments were blown out of proportion was because he didn’t have enough time. He preferred to have a more in-depth discussion when touching on such a tragic incident. “A discussion should ensue about the football culture, the gun culture, domestic violence [ ] those issues should be discussed if we’re looking for some kind of elusive perspective,” he said yesterday. He agrees that, “People should be allowed to own guns for their own protection,” but added that, Access to guns is too easy in some cases.”