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Do politics have a place in a sportscast?

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    NBC's Bob Costas calls for stricter gun control

  • Duration 7:01
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-- one of the millions of people watching Sunday Night Football last night you saw something out of the ordinary.

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas using his weekly monologue.

The sound off on the murder suicide less than 36 hours earlier involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Javon Belcher.

He wants an actual perspective on this well a bit of it comes from the Kansas City based writer Jason whitlock.

With whom I do not always agree but who today said -- so well but we may as well just quote or paraphrase.

From the end of his article.

Our current gun culture whitlock wrote.

Ensures that more and more domestic disputes we'll -- in the ultimate tragedy.

And that more convenient store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boy's bloodied -- dead.

-- guns -- not enhance our safety.

They exacerbate our flaws attempts -- to escalate arguments and bait us into embracing confrontation.

Rather than avoiding it.

In the coming days to bond built his actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed.

Who knows but here -- Jason whitlock.

Is what I believe.

If -- Belcher didn't possess a gun.

He and -- Perkins would both be alive.

All right so what do you think about that let's do this fair and balanced Jim Pinkerton is a contributing editor and writer.

For the American conservative magazine Alan Colmes is host of the Alan Colmes radio show and author of thank the liberals.

For saving America full disclosure I -- a handgun owner.

And yes I'm a member of the in our case so I'll do my best this stay in the middle on this one.

Hot.

Alan what do you think about what Kostis had to say there -- not packing on the sedar and is not -- clear -- that's very angry with me when Baghdad.

I actually this idea -- New York wouldn't -- -- -- I'm just getting serious.

He he was quoting.

Somebody else obviously the I don't get the sense -- he was calling for specific legislation or saying -- was that we should do he wasn't sick.

Specifically calling for gun control he was saying some things are -- we have a gun culture and to.

We could debate whether or not if Joseph -- had a gun would he and his girlfriend be alive today.

But I think -- he said there's better chance that he would be or better than -- chance to be alive today.

If they didn't have a gun that might have been a better way to express it but.

He wasn't calling for specific legislation I think it's interesting how conservatives have decided to jump on him.

Immediately after that that statement which I think had to address -- -- -- -- -- something.

What I find interesting Jim is that automatically.

Begun becomes responsible I mean it's it's it's the big.

A violent game in a violent word world where head injuries are common where steroids are common but it becomes all about the gun.

Right I I've never met Bob Costas and so I can't speak to his motives however.

From I will predict that he has lunch with Mayor Bloomberg and have a big talk about gun control and that ice ice on -- this morning there's 2000 news stories about this so that -- for if for example you ever have any political ambitions.

In the new York New Jersey Connecticut area I'm sure this will only help them -- up higher and that liberal blue state area however.

What think about what he didn't say are only alluded to briefly and I don't think I think he was -- -- hide behind -- -- statements I think it's clearly trying to get credit for associating itself with it without actually.

It's -- saying it but look here's the front page of today's sports section of the New York Times.

It's quote studying it bolsters link between -- routine hits and brain diseases from Boston university and and the veterans department saying that what they call CTE.

Is a real thing and a big thing and yet.

Let -- well what happened last night a process that you know.

I think that maybe football exclusions the other great football game -- I've gotten rich over the last couple decades covering made millions covering it might actually be the cause of this or steroids which is not a thing that them a lot of pro sports leagues.

Have been waking at as the turning a blind -- to her for for years if you sit in those things something tells me that they -- because we considering its contract at NBC.

As opposed to line I think with some big hero gun control.

You know I don't think it -- land first of all costs us lives and Saint Louis -- -- gonna run for office in the liberal blue state of the -- secondly.

He was again quoting.

The sports writer Jason whitlock who did address the possibility that -- They were possibly brain issues for having been hit a few times that did come up in that column and so that wasn't ignored.

And -- was not calling for specific on schedule I think this is an over -- and if for example.

But Kostis and said you know we ought to have the death penalty to people who commit these kind of crimes -- what are conservatives would still be upset.

That he was making a political statement.

What what about individual responsibility what about saying you know if this guy had been able to control his anger you know -- that he would still realize -- there I mean there are all kinds of what ifs.

And to come out the day after.

He kills the mother of his child and kills himself when he could have done it with a butcher -- again I wonder -- said we need more traditional values in America and we have to make sure that people don't commit these kind of crime for which they should be severely punished.

That conservatives would have embraced him for talking about traditional values so.

You know the same people who are objecting to what he said I think reading too much into it would have had a very different attitude heading phrased it on the L.

Local course -- if if he said with a liberals like the liberals are gonna like going to be says what the liberals hate they would hit a part of what has it definitely dynamic and have a why -- -- -- -- -- has sportscast.

And issue a political opinion especially when the elephant in the room.

Are the elephants plural in the room are -- brain injuries and steroids I don't.

-- brain injuries was mentioned and also again.

It's probably true that if there were no guns there would be two more alive people today -- -- instant so I don't know what he said that was not true.

He way underplayed the brain -- -- for obvious reason he works with the NFL he asked it.

Yeah I mean -- one could argue that bit over the course of his nation's history.

Guns have done a lot more to you know build and protect in and so forth this nation that we all live in.

Then the NFL and I don't want to that's the issue I think we fight for examples of why not why not talk about -- why not if if if Jim is right and maybe you know collisions and steroid use and and concussions and that kind of thing.

Might have played a role here or why not why not talk about getting rid of the end of well he did say that -- -- -- played a -- number one.

And number two we find out that more that more often than not these kinds of tragedies happen among people happen to know each other.

And not strangers -- -- this kind of time kind of gun violence often happens with people who know each other.

So he was not out of line to -- -- -- it happens to be true.

I have well I'd -- I disagree with your premise but we're out of time and Alan Colmes Jim Pinkerton thank you.

Thank you thank you.

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