Former NFL kicker Jay Feely: Prom date photo with gun was a 'joke'

Former NFL kicker Jay Feely said the photo he posted on his Twitter account that showed him holding a gun as he stood between his daughter and her date for high school prom “was obviously intended to be a joke.”

Feely on Saturday night wrote, “Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom #BadBoys,” with the photo that showed a gun pointed down in his right hand, his daughter's date to his right and his arms around his daughter who is to his left, smiling while looking at him.

Feely, who spent 14 years in the NFL with six teams, explained himself on Sunday, saying, he “did not intend to be insensitive” to gun safety. 

“The prom picture I posted was obviously intended to be a joke,” Feely said. “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.”

The 41-year-old’s post comes at a time when gun laws and safety have permeated the national discussion, heightened after the Stoneman Douglas High School (Fla.) shooting on Feb. 14 that killed 17, many of whom were students.

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According to his Twitter bio, Feely is a CBS Sports NFL/college football analyst who lives in Arizona. He played in the NFL from 2001-14.