Former NFL kicker Jay Feely took the whole protective dad thing to a whole new level over the weekend. He posted a photo of his daughter and her prom date on his Twitter page while holding a gun in his hand on his Twitter page and it um, caused some controversy.
Wishing my beautiful daughter and her date a great time at prom #BadBoys pic.twitter.com/T5JRZQYq9e
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
Critics said the photoshoot was insensitive and diminished the real threat of gun violence, especially in light of the recent school shootings. Moms Demand Action Founder Shannon Watts agreed, adding that Feely's photo was misogynistic.
Oh yay - American dads have kicked off the season of “let’s pretend I’m going to shoot my daughter’s date for for impugning her chastity” pics. https://t.co/JRkhQTmKRV
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 22, 2018
Others defended Feely's picture as a harmless joke, pointing out that the kids agreed to the photo and, judging by their expressions, had some fun with it too. They certainly don't look threatened.
When the "TODAY" show polled their viewers, a majority, 56 percent, said the photo was "all in good fun." That's what Feely was going for, he explained in a follow up tweet, adding that he prioritizes gun safety.
The prom picture I posted was obviously intended to be a joke. My Daughter has dated her boyfriend for over a year and they knew I was joking.
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) April 22, 2018
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
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