Former NFL kicker Jay Feely tweeted a picture Saturday night of himself posing with his daughter and her date to prom.
The innocent caption, “Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom #BadBoys,” is juxtaposed with the fact that Feely is holding a gun pointed at the ground.
Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom #BadBoys pic.twitter.com/T5JRZQYq9e
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
Although Feely is pointing the gun toward the ground, the safety is on and his finger is not on the trigger, some observers felt it was a joke that went too far and a debate ensued.
I mean, we get the reference, but this was terribly out of touch with gun safety. And out of touch with not making that picture and night about you.
— Siege (@ourdailyquest) April 22, 2018
If someone did this to my son. 😡
— Stephanie Marie (@smsauceda) April 22, 2018
For the love of… It’s meant to be referential, funny, and all are in on it. PC had gotten waaay outa control. Relax, people- not everything is a controversy. 🙄
— Heather Mae Shampine (@HeatherShampine) April 22, 2018
An account appearing to belong to Feely’s father chimed in with some context:
Hey, not a big fan of guns, but there are some times you just have to make a point. In this case, all is just in fun. These two kids have been dating for several years and they are fully trusted.
— Coach Tom Feely (@CoachFeely) April 22, 2018
On Sunday morning, Feely posted this follow-up tweet, while keeping up the original post.
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.
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
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
Feely, 41, played for seven teams in his 14-year NFL career. He worked as a color commentator for CBS last season, but in a unique position as a “kicking expert” specifically focused on special teams situations.
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