Roger Goodell Has Advice for Players Who Feel They Need Guns: Avoid Those Situations

It's good to see that Roger Goodell can balance the whole "ruling with an iron fist" thing with a little TLC. The NFL commissioner is probably best known for meting out punishment like a power-mad dictator (not to mention FUBAR-ing up Spygate), but he also has the ability to state the obvious and pass it off as advice.

In the wake of Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan night club, Goodell had this to say about NFL players and guns.

"The real issue to me, is when the players feel they're unsafe, they shouldn't be there," Goodell said. "So get out, don't be there. If you feel the need to have a firearm to be someplace, you're in the wrong place."

It's a simple but poignant message.

To be fair, it's not like Goodell called a press conference with McGruff to discuss player safety. It sounds like he was talking to the media about a number of issues, and Burress being an idiot just happened to be one of them.

And as platitudinous as he comes off, Goodell's right; if a player thinks he needs to carry a gun before heading out, it's probably best to stay at home. And I mean, don't even attempt to get the paper.

As for the NFL's involvement in the Burress situation, Goodell says that the league is "supportive of the police, and [will] do whatever they need to cooperate." He added, "I expressed that to the mayor and to the chief of police. We're held accountable to the laws of the land, and so are our players."

Players, yes. Coaches and owners? Not so much. Hey, Bloomberg, get on that.