NEW YORK — Former Atlanta Falcons kicker Jay Feely says a photo of him holding a pistol while standing between his daughter and her prom date was intended to be a joke.
Feely posted the photo on Twitter Saturday.
The photo shows him standing with his arm around his daughter and with the gun in his other hand, next to his daughter's date.
On Sunday, Feely wrote that the couple, who have dated for over a year, knew he was joking.
But, some people thought he crossed a line.
He says he takes gun safety seriously and the gun was not loaded.
He says he did not intend to be "insensitive" to the gun control issue.
Feely, who played in the NFL for more than a dozen years, was a member of the Atlanta Falcons from 2001 to 2004.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.