CBS Sports analyst and former NFL kicker Jay Feely apologized for posting a photo with his daughter and prom date showing him carrying a gun. The 41-year-old said the photo was intended to be a joke.
The photo, which Feely still has on his Twitter page, shows him in between his daughter and her date, with one arm over her shoulder. In his other hand, he is posing with a handgun.
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“Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom,” he wrote, adding the hashtag #BadBoys.
On Sunday, Feely apologized for the photo, saying it was “intended to be a joke” and both his daughter and her boyfriend understood that. He also said the gun was not loaded.
“The prom picture I posted was obviously intended to be a joke. My Daughter has dated her boyfriend for over a year and they knew I was joking,” Feely wrote. “I take gun safety seriously (the gun was not loaded and had no clip in) and I did not intend to be insensitive to that important issue.”
Josh Scobee, a fellow former NFL kicker showed support for Feely, writing, “The fact you have to tweet this is sad.”
The fact you have to tweet this is sad
โ Josh Scobee (@JoshScobee10) April 22, 2018
Scobee was not alone in supporting Feely.
There’s no need to explain. It’s a timeless joke that everyone gets, even the Left.
They just pretend they don’t get it because they’re working hard on pushing their agenda.
โ Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) April 22, 2018
You have nothing to apologize for! This is a free country, we have second amendment rights to own guns. Your photo was harmless, clearly a family moment with a humorous angle. Sane, normal, rational people understand this. All others are living in an alternate reality. ๐โค๐
โ ๐American Patriot ๐บ๐ธ Save America!๐ (@pearl_of_truth) April 22, 2018
Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling also chimed in.
Jay, no need to apologize. The ONLY folks expecting an apology are assclowns who hate you anyway. It was a joke, any rational ADULT that can read and has eyes knows it was. And as a father, I agree with the wink wink to the boyfriend. We know what they are thinking as fathers
โ Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) April 22, 2018
Feely is a former kicker who played at Michigan in college with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. In January, Feely said he vacationed with Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen, who spent the majority of the trip trying to get him to convince Brady to retire. “She was dead serious,” Feely said.
“For years he wanted to prove he belonged in this league,” Feely told Sports Illustrated of Brady. “He won three Super Bowls and still used perceived slights to motivate himself. And he’s still finding ways to motivate himself.”
After starting his professional career in the Arena Football League, Feely played for seven NFL teams from 2001 to 2014. He made the Pro Bowl in 2005.
Since retiring, Feely began a career in broadcasting, signing on as an analyst for CBS Sports Network. He also joined Beth Mowins in the booth to call NFL games on CBS.
Photo credit: Twitter / Jay Feely