Rising crime forces NFL players to take security cover

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-20  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

NFL players are carrying guns and hiring bodyguards as they seek to avoid becoming victims of violent crime which has already claimed the lives of two players.

Seven players told the latest edition of ESPN The Magazine, to be published tomorrow, that the murders last year of Washington Redskins Sean Taylor safety and Denver Broncos' defensive back Darrent Williams, had raised the alarm among some of the country's toughest sportsmen.

"We are targets, we need to be aware of that everywhere we go," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers corner Ronde Barber.

Taylor was shot during a botched robbery at his home in South Florida while Williams was shot and killed outside a nightclub in Denver on New Years Eve, 2007.

This year, Oakland receiver Jevon Walker was robbed and beaten unconscious in Las Vegas and Jacksonville Jaguars lineman Richard Collier had to have his leg amputated after being shot and left paralysed below the waist.

The response has been an escalation in security for the players and NFL Players' Association president Kevin Mawae, of the Tennessee Titans, estimates half his teammates carry guns.

"If I had to guess about our locker room, I'd say it's 50-50 when it comes to gun ownership," he told the magazine.

"I don't own a handgun. I have a hunting rifle. My job is to protect my family. If someone comes into my house? Game's on," he said.

Fred Taylor, a Jaguars teammate of Collier, said that not being able to carry guns at the team's facility makes him feel vulnerable.

"I have all the security measures at my house - systems, cameras, I can watch everything from my computer but I still don't think I have enough. Who knows what is enough?