Former NFLer slammed for gun-toting prom photo
A former NFLer is being slammed for a photo of him seeing his daughter off to prom.
Over the weekend, former football player and current CBS commentator Jay Feely shared an image of himself, his daughter and her prom date on Twitter alongside a caption that read “Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom.”
Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom #BadBoys pic.twitter.com/T5JRZQYq9e
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
It’s not his daughter’s pretty peach dress capturing the attention of people online — but rather Feely holding a gun in his hand.
The photo captures the age-old trope of a father protecting his daughter — and while it’s fine the former NFL player wants to take care of his daughter, the image is garnering plenty of controversy online.
ALSO SEE: Trump supporter’s graduation photo goes viral
Some are calling Feely insensitive and irresponsible:
I have nothing better to do since my son was shot by someone jokingly pointing a gun at him. There's nothing funny about guns to me anymore.
— Bridget Losch (@LoschBridget) April 22, 2018
Let's see…Daddy poses for a photo by standing between daughter and her date, while holding a hand gun!? The clear message is what? That you own a gun? You make a strong case that MANY GUN OWNERS SHOULD NOT OWN A GUN!! Totally irresponsible.
— Wayenin (@WeCU12) April 22, 2018
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
Not funny dude. There’s so many young kids who will never go to prom because of gun violence.
— Delilia O'Malley (@DeliliaOMalley) April 23, 2018
The commentator took to Twitter to provide further insight into the image he posted previously. Commenting that the photo was meant to “obviously” be a joke, the previous status has opened up the gun safety conversation:
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.
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— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, gun violence is the third leading cause of death for American kids. What’s worse is that statistics show when it comes to gun violence and gender, this form of violence affects women in a different way. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence says the presence of guns in situations of domestic violence increases the risk of homicide by 500 per cent.
ALSO SEE: This teen made her prom entrance in a casket — and people aren’t happy
Regardless if the photo was meant as a “joke,” many are arguing that it implies Feely is an overbearing father who believes his daughter is his property.
Not just that, but also that the daughter can't make choices for herself. Wrong for so many reasons.
— Becca (@McHattrick) April 22, 2018
He is also apparently sending a message that he owns his daughter, and this kid better not trespass on his "property".
— Anita Napp (@Anita_Nappzz) April 22, 2018
If you aren't a woman, your opinion on any man acting as if he owns her is secondary. No uterus, no opinion.
— Just A Girl (@mdlofsomewhere) April 23, 2018
What do you think of Feely’s post – was it funny or insensitive?
Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA!
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
