Stoke star Shea follows Bassong on to shameful list of gun-toting footballers

Stoke City midfielder Brek Shea has caused another Instagram storm after posting a picture of him holding two massive guns, on Monday night.

He had already ruffled some feathers when he posted a picture of the pig's head that was left in Kenwyne Jones' locker, and this latest effort didn't impress many, at least on this side of the Atlantic.

Back home in Texas, of course, fire-arms are legal, but whether a Premier League footballer should be posing with them is another matter.

All guns blazing: Shea misguidedly posted this photo on his Instagram account before deleting it back in June

Foolish: Sebastien Bassong posed with this gun

Shea seemed to come around to that school of thought himself, and quickly removed the picture.

He is certainly not the only footballer to have committed this faux pas.

Norwich City defender Sebastien Bassong recently posed with a gun and posted the controversial pictures on his Instagram account.

In one picture the 26-year-old holds the pistol in a firing position, while in the second he looks to be blowing down the barrel as if he has set off the firearm.

The former Newcastle and Tottenham centre half captioned the pictures on his account as a ‘garden shooting session’ and claimed he was practising for the security of his daughter Elyah, according to The Sun.



A Norwich spokesman claimed the gun was not real but a replica and the player took the images off his account.



The images were posted and removed at the start of this month, before Norwich's 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa, and Bassong said sorry after being spoken to by club officials.



The Cameroon international is understood to have been fined by manager Chris Hughton.

A club spokesman said: 'Several weeks ago the club was made aware of the picture posted on the social media site Instagram and we immediately discussed the matter with Sebastien.



Trigger man: Bassong posed with the gun in what he described as a 'garden shooting session'

Really? Nile Ranger poses with a gun

'He apologised sincerely for any offence caused by the picture and immediately deleted it, and confirmed the object he is pictured holding was not real. The matter has been dealt with internally by the club.'

Two years ago, Newcastle striker Nile Ranger sparked outrage after he was pictured posing as a ‘gangster’ holding a chrome gun.

Ranger, 20 at the time, was instantly questioned by the Barclays Premier League club, who revealed the former London gang member expressed ‘regret’ over the photograph which has been meet with widespread dismay.

At the time Mothers Against Violence campaigner Patsy McKie, whose son was shot dead in Manchester, said: ‘Footballers are an example to young boys. He probably thought this was a bit of fun, but guns tear people’s lives apart.’

Ranger was pictured with the firearm - said to be a replica - before a night out with his friends.

The forward, from north London, had vowed to reform his ways having spent an 11-week period inside a young persons institute as 15-year-old over a mugging.

Speaking previously about his experience, he said: ‘I started running with a gang. We were convicted of street robbery in Muswell Hill. There was a weapon but we didn’t use it.

‘Jail was pretty rough but it taught me a lot. The most important thing I learned is that I never want to go back.

‘Coming up to Newcastle has completely changed my life.’