NFL, players ordering bulletproof vehicles after Collier attack
Professional football players have been victims of gun violence on several occasions over the past year and a half, and investigators in the latest incident involving Carolina's Richard Collier say the offensive tackle was targeted. The NFL and some top athletes have had enough and contacted the Texas Armoring Corporation for help. The TAC creates custom bullet-proof vehicles for movie stars and public figures, and the company is a self-proclaimed expert at converting luxury vehicles into a blingtastic Brinks-mobile. The TAC says that 80-90% of attacks happen in the car, making armored vehicles a good option for those in the public eye. Professional athletes buying an armored car from the TAC can also get a professional threat assessment from two former CIA operatives.A quick glance at the TAC website shows that you can get a Cadillac Escalade with 8,000 miles and the ability to stop an AK47 or M-16 for $147,000. That's a bit over blue book for a used SUV, but when considering that it has one-inch-thick glass and European B6 level protection, the six figure price tag isn't all that shocking. It's just sad that we're at the point athletes need a 9,000 lb, overstuffed SUV to get to the game in one piece.
[Source: Business Wire]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
John 1:40PM (9/11/2008)
I guess when you're a thug and have "arrived" in life a bullet-proof Escalade is the pinnacle of success.
What GM option code do you check at the dealer? "GBE" - Gang Banger Edition?
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No Welfare for GM 1:47PM (9/11/2008)
a "THUG"??? what? These people work hard for every penny they earn. Look at former ball players and their medical bills. Plus football players make FAR less than baseball or basketball players with CUT THROAT competition and in a league where you so called contract can be suspended at any time.
Yeah, they make money and they want to spend it how they see fit. That does not make them any more of a THUG than a white boy from Vermont who listens to gangsta rap.
I bet you would have no problems if he bought a Porsche or a 3 series.
J.S. 1:47PM (9/11/2008)
Word homes. Way too funny!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH
Red 1:58PM (9/11/2008)
I know some of the white boys you speak of, sadly. it's pretty pathetic.
No Welfare for GM 2:01PM (9/11/2008)
RED, my point wasn't about the white boys, my point was that not all Football players are thughs, even if they chose a bullet proof car.
Frylock350 2:03PM (9/11/2008)
I believe John was referring to the fact that if they weren't skilled at throwing a ball through an ring and such, they have the intelligence appropriate for making burgers at McDonalds.
I personally find it sick how much athletes make
John 2:18PM (9/11/2008)
I don't have as much issue with their salary than the stupid choices some of these guys make. They have everything handed to them on a silver platter and choose to throw it away because they want to hang with drug dealers and pimps. They want to have the gangster image. If you didn't live this lifestyle, you wouldn't need a bullet-proof car of any kind!!!
Players today such as Pacman Jones and Ricky Williams are two that come to mind that have been given countless chances. Others haven't been so lucky with their bad decisions.
k.w.a 2:43PM (9/11/2008)
don't really agree with you assuming they're "thugs", but i do agree with the fact that they should factor in common sense if they don't want to be targeted. I know that when you're a public figure you should take precautions, but if you really want to reduce your chances of getting killed, ceasing to drive $200,000 vehicles through crack neighborhoods will be a good place to start.
DesiAuto 2:48PM (9/11/2008)
"I guess when you're a thug ..."
Are you saying Payton brothers are "thugs" or were you referring to Bret Favre?
John 2:56PM (9/11/2008)
Hey Desi: you can stop with the race baiting.
chad.dawkins 3:10PM (9/11/2008)
Just an FYI to some of the idiots who are responding. The NFL player was shot in a upper middle class area while waiting for some girls to come out of an apartment. Just because they're young black men doesn't mean they're thugs. Just because some jealous idiot gets mad and shoots them doesn't mean they're gang bangers. Hell just because a guy listens to rap doesn't mean he's a thug.
Was Sean Taylor a thug when some idiots broke into his house then shot and him while he was trying to defend his wife?
Anyways, it's sad that NFL Players feel the need to go to such an extreme just to feel safe.
hankfidel 6:46PM (9/12/2008)
You're not a thug and arrived unless you're the president of the United States...because they've been bulletproof for how many terms now? It comes with the fame.
Seoultrain 3:45PM (9/11/2008)
Way too much jealousy on this thread. You aren't a 6'5" 230 lb. physical specimen who can run 40 yds in 4.5 seconds. Deal with it. Would you rather have the insanely rich owners keep those salaries? It's a fair share of a billion-dollar industry.
For every athlete that signs a multi-million dollar contract, there are hundreds of athletes who gave everything they had only to fail in the end. Or have an injury cripple them just short of greatness. And a lot of them do end up at places like McDonald's. I admire them, but I don't envy them.
catgirlshyla 3:57PM (9/11/2008)
Vick? Vick? Vicky-Poo? Anyone? Anyone?
Fernando 4:29PM (9/11/2008)
It never says why he was targeted. For all we know, he was targeted for hitting on some dude's wife at a bar, not because he was an NFL player.
Randy915 5:59PM (9/11/2008)
I have no comment... just contributing to the longest reply thread in the history of AB.
Marlon 6:38PM (9/11/2008)
Pretty dismayed and appalled by your ignorant sweeping generalization of a post.
And the fact that it's one of the highest rated is even more disgusting.
John 8:37PM (9/11/2008)
I'm pretty dismayed and appalled that in two sentences Marlon said absolutely nothing of value.
Jeff F 1:44PM (9/11/2008)
Richard Collier is on the Jacksonville Jaguars, NOT Carolina. Regardless, my prayers are with him and his family..
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Artie Lange 1:48PM (9/11/2008)
The fact that professional athletes get shot has nothing to do with the point we're at and everything to do with the behavior of professional athletes. It is neither surprising nor sad when people who chose to flaunt their extreme wealth excessively in the face of an otherwise impoverished community end up becoming the victims of violence.
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