Former NFL star becomes the target of gun control advocates for innocent "Bad Boys II" joke
Jay Feely, the retired NFL kicker faced major backlash on social media after he tweeted a photo of himself between his daughter and her prom date holding a gun. The tweet, which comes at the start of the prom season for millions of Americans, read:
Feely sparked outrage across the Internet with several users complaining that he "supported gun violence," reported Fox News. On Sunday, Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich said, "I think people are reacting to this in a way that is overly sensitive and they just need to relax."
Belonging to Arizona, where one can freely carry a firearm if he or she is over the age of 21 without a license, Feely was subjected to harsh reactions online.
"It's a joke. He's not using the gun inappropriately, his finger is out of the trigger well," Pavlich said. "Dads have been making this joke for centuries."
Reassuring the delicate audience on the online platform, Feely said that he "did not intend" for the photo "to be insensitive" when he tweeted on Sunday. He said that he takes the issue of gun safety with utmost concern.
The reactions came in from both sides of the gun advocates rather instantly for the image which was inspired by the cult movie "Bad Boys II”.
He explained the photograph by saying it was all in good fun, reported The New York Post.
The original image posted by Feely garnered more than 37,000 likes and thousands of comments. Gun control advocates slammed everything ranging from the casual use of a gun right up to objectifying daughters as pure beings that needed protection.
Feely is now a CBS Sports analyst after a 14-year NFL career which ended in 2014. During his prime, Feely played for some of the best teams in the NFL, including New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears and the New York Jets.
"Oh yay -- American dads have kicked off the season of 'let’s pretend I’m going to shoot my daughter’s date for impugning her chastity' pics," tweeted Shannon Watts, founder of the gun control group Moms Demand Action.