Super Bowl Update

As he closed out NBC's halftime program during the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, Bob Costas did something most sports commentators try to avoid: He made himself part of a news story.

Some background, first:  On Saturday morning, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, a tragedy compounded when Belcher drove to the Chiefs' practice facility near Arrowhead Stadium and ended his own life in front of the team's head coach and general manager, among others.

It is sorrowful enough that two people - two young people, seemingly in the prime of their lives, are gone.  More so that they shared an infant daughter, who will now grow up without both of her parents.

As the Chiefs and the families of Belcher and Perkins have struggled mightily in the 48 hours since to find some reason for what happened, others have chosen to use this sad situation as an excuse to drag out their respective soapboxes, upon which they are calling for greater gun control.  It started with Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock, and it continued with Costas - who, in 90 seconds, managed to set social media ablaze - mostly negatively - with his take on things.

Here's the thing, folks:  It's not up to Whitlock and/or Costas to sort out what happened on the east side of Kansas City on Saturday.  Nor is it up to you or me.  But what is clear is this:  The gun Jovan Belcher used two days ago was no more responsible for what happened than Maura Weis' good silverware and china are responsible for making her husband, Charlie, one of college football's most morbidly obese coaches.  Let me be clear:  Jovan Belcher made a conscious, clear choice to do what he did.  The weapon wasn't important.

And the fact is, we simply don't know, if that gun hadn't been available to this young man, whether or not he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive.  To speculate that such might be the case is, in one word, irresponsible.

Bob Costas and everyone else pontificating over this sad affair need to knock it off, unless they have something constructive to add.

And that's my two cents.