The Change Mariner

More N.F.L. Players Turn to Guns for a Sense of Security

New York Times:

Toward the end of his 19 years in the National Football League, offensive tackle Lomas Brown noticed something that startled even a hardened veteran. It seemed as if almost every player he knew in the N.F.L. 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 N.F.L. have guns," said Brown, who retired at the end of last season. "Just about every guy I played with in the N.F.L. 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 N.F.L. 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.

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