I'm all for people doing whatever they can to give themselves a feeling of security. And I've never been an NFL player, so I can't claim to know what kinds of dangers they face day-in and day-out. 

That said, my initial reaction to a bulletproof car being marketed to NFL players is that it's a tiny bit of overkill. Maybe Ahman Green could use one, and if the NFL allowed him to use it on the field, he could stay healthy for a few hours. But beyond that, I'm just not sure.

Maybe Darrent Williams and Richard Collier have made armored cars seem like a necessity, and I guess I couldn't blame anyone for that reaction. Maybe I just don't want to believe that we're at a place in the world where people feel like they need armored cars to be safe.

I'd rather believe that a simpler solution to the problem of bullets penetrating your car--like avoiding driving your car someplace where you might get shot--would be just as effective. I'd rather believe that people have some control over whether or not they get shot at. But maybe that would make me naive. I don't know.

Anyway, the Texas Armoring Corporation (that name alone frightens me), the company marketing the armored cars, made sure to mention Collier in their sales pitch.

"We're saddened by the unfortunate violence against Mr. Collier last week and by similar attacks against NFL players during the last 18 months. We're confident that our products can offer some peace of mind to other players and their families in the coming weeks and months as they obtain our vehicles," remarked Trent Kimball, President and CEO of Texas Armoring.

[...]

With regard to the announcements, Kimball concluded, "Overall, our goal is to protect NFL players and others in the spotlight with all of the resources at our disposal -- the first step being an armored vehicle and the second, a professional threat assessment. We hope that other professional organizations will follow suit so that we can provide protection through bulletproof vehicles and threat assessments to members of the NBA, NHL, MLB, etc. The bottom line is that the type of violence that Richard Collier was subject to last week is intolerable, and Texas Armoring Corporation will continue to do everything in its power to protect high-profile athletes and celebrities from such shameful acts of violence going forward."

That's awfully nice of them.

Gracias, Big Lead.

Related: NFL League Issues