Tank Johnson to NFL Rookies: You Do Not Need A Gun

Tank Johnson falls in the category of NFL players whose off the field incidents overshadowed his on field play. While playing for the Chicago Bears he was arrested, jailed, and suspended as a result of incidents involving guns. His close friend was even shot and killed in front of him after an altercation at a Chicago area bar.

While speaking to rookies at the NFL’s Rookie Symposium, Tank Johnson urged the young NFL players to avoid firearms and not to relive his mistakes.

“While you’re playing in the NFL, you do not need a firearm for any reason,” Johnson said, via Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. “The NFL does a great job of putting these resources around you where you don’t need a firearm. Having a gun is not going to help you when that moment comes if you’re not trained on how to use that gun.”

“I’m just here to talk to you guys about firearms, guns, gats, straps, all that stuff that we keep seeing pop up in the media all the time with our young athletes,” Johnson told the rookies. “The main thing that caused me those troubles, coming from Phoenix and moving to Chicago, was bringing a car full of my guns, thinking it was going to be sweet like it was in Phoenix, where you can buy an AK-47 at Circle K.”

With famous celebrities like 2 Chainz being targeted by robbers in the street in broad daylight and the tragedy surrounding Sean Taylor’s death it’s hard to tell a target not to protect themselves. But Tank Johnson certainly has a point about the NFL’s resources. The important thing is to keep yourself out of those situations.