Bob Costas: 'If Jovan Belcher did not possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive'

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas used his weekly monologue on "Sunday Night Football" to discuss the fallout of the tragedy in Kansas City, urging viewers to move past the cliched coverage of the "perspective" gleaned from the news that linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then himself Saturday morning.

Costas focused much of his monologue on a column by Fox Sports' Jason Whitlock, which argued that "current gun culture simply ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy." Costas said that although he often doesn't agree with Whitlock, he found his argument to be spot on this time.

“In the coming days, Jovan Belcher’s actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows?” Costas said. "But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe: 'If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.'"

Costas' sentiments sparked some heated discussion immediately on Twitter, including from injured Eagles center Jason Kelce:

From NBC, here is video of Costas' monologue:

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