I am no fan of Bob Costas, in fact I thought his comments about Idi Amin- when the Ugandan athletes came out during this past summer's Olympics- was one of the most ignorant things ever said by a person covering sports.

But I am going to have to side with him in his fight with the NRA. Maybe he should have chilled with the editorializing during an NFL game, but when you agree with someone's message it's hard to rip him.

So more on that message: Costas quoted from another guy who is not going to be on my Christmas list, Jason Whitlock, who basically said that the NRA was the same as the KKK.

“Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it.”

On Martin’s podcast, Whitlock compared the NRA to the Ku Klux Klan, reports Dailycaller.com. Whitlock also said that he did not believe the Chiefs wanted to play Sunday, after the Saturday tragedy, but the team's owner wanted the game to proceed.

Whitlock said: "You know, I did not go as far as I’d like to go because my thoughts on the NRA and America’s gun culture, I believe the NRA is the new KKK. And that the arming of so many black youths, uh, and loading up our community with drugs, and then just having an open shooting gallery, is the work of people who obviously don’t have our best interests [at heart].”

“I think it’s obvious if you’ve traveled abroad, and traveled to countries where they have legitimate gun laws, that we don’t have to have what we have in America, where people somehow think a gun enhances their liberty, and that people somehow think a gun makes them safer."

“It just doesn’t. A gun turns some kids listening to music into a murder scene. And uh, you know, if you don’t have a gun, you drive home. You know, kids listening to some loud music, you don’t like it, you go home and complain to your wife. But when you have a gun, you open fire, potentially, and take the life of a child.” [Source]

I feel you there Jason, although Mr. Belcher was not a good dude. If he didn't kill that poor woman with a handgun he might have beaten her to death. Still, I do believe that the people in the NRA are a bunch of pimps, and that they care more about lining their pockets than the 2nd Amendment. But "loading up our community with drugs"? That's not the NRA. And, let's keep it 100% with each other; at some point more personal responsibility has to come into play. Those NRA dudes aren't splitting young black buck's wigs over a bad drug deal.

Now Costas is feeling the heat, and Costas being Costas, well... he is walking back some of his comments.

"He first told Patrick that the feedback he had received had been “tremendously positive,” but that there had also been “considerable backlash,” and attributed some of it to “the gun lobby.” He explained to Patrick that the reason the situation had even taken place was because he had been told he’d receive “about a minute and fifteen seconds” to address the Belcher tragedy, and that he felt the best way to “come at” the situation from a different angle was to try to point out issues that hadn’t been addressed.
He went on,
“For a long time, I’ve been wanting to get off my chest my disgust with this idea that every time something tragic happens, no matter what it may be, that in any way touches sports, there’s a chorus of people saying, ‘you know, this really puts it in perspective.’ Which is a bunch of nonsense, because if that was true, we wouldn’t have to have that perspective adjusted every time the next tragedy occurs. It’s a bunch of nonsense. And what I was trying to say was, that if you want some perspective on this, there are a number of issues related to this that we could begin to talk about and think about.”
Although he called his comments a “mistake,” Costas cited lack of time as the primary reason he was targeted for criticism, telling Patrick, “My mistake is I left it open for too much communication.”  [Source]

Maybe critics like Mike Gallagher ( who on his radio program today said that Trayvon Martin got what he deserved and that black radio commentators basically get a free pass in America because they are...wait for it, black.) will debate Costas on this issue. Although somehow I doubt that this is what the folks on the right and the NRA supporters want. Keep in mind that these are the same folks who cry that they can't debate black folks and liberals on issues like racism and gun control. Oh the irony.

It always takes a high profile tragedy to bring the gun control debate to the forefront of our consciousness. Sadly for all of us, we will have another chance to debate it really soon.