Total Pro Sports
The NFL has made a decision on whether or not it should have armed security at team facilities following last month’s shooting incident near its headquarters at 345 Park Avenue in New York City.
A shooter named Shane Tamura entered the Midtown Manhattan office building on July 28 and opened fire, killing five people, including himself.
Based on the note found on Tamura’s body, it was clear that he had targeted the league’s office. However, no NFL employees were killed, although one was critically injured.
Teams have since received a memo recommending armed security be present at all facilities whenever players and staff are on the compound.
The memo, obtained by The Athletic, calls for “Updated threat assessments at every team and league facility to ensure risks are accurately identified and mitigated.”
It also recommends an armed police presence at team and league facilities when players or staff are present, as well as weapons screening for anyone entering a team or league facility, “including the use of walk-through magnetometers and X-ray scanners for bags, similar to the process for obtaining entry into games.”
“The Committee recognizes that these changes will affect day-to-day operations and require an investment of time, coordination, and resources,” the memo reads. “However, there is no higher priority than the safety and security of our players, coaches, staff, and everyone who works in and around our facilities.”
The measures noted above should go a long way toward making NFL players and staff feel safe while ensuring they will be protected should any group or individual try carrying out something similar to last month’s deadly attack.
Tamura, a former high school football player, believed he was suffering from CTE and blamed the NFL for not raising awareness as it pertains to the risks.
He did not make it to the league office as intended because he took the wrong bank of elevators, but people, including a police officer, lost their lives.
