Speaking with Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, the former Indianapolis Colts defensive stalwart spoke out against players toting firearms to nightclubs for a piece published Friday. Freeney, a 14-year NFL veteran, used the interview to issue a warning to the league’s players that they have too much to lose to put themselves in a situation involving gun violence, accidental or purposeful. The public thoughts come less than a week after Talib suffered a gunshot wound to his leg, reportedly outside a Dallas strip club.

While Freeney opted not to comment on Talib’s specific situation, he opined the incident, like the infamous Plaxico Burress accidental shooting, would have had a higher chance of being avoided had Talib opted not to bring his firearm to the nightclub. Burress shot himself in the leg at a New York nightclub in 2008 and served 20 months in prison for criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

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“Having a gun to protect your home is different from having one on you when you go out in public to a bar. I don’t know what Aqib did or didn’t do. I do know one thing. If you have a gun on you, chances of you being shot, or shooting someone, are higher. That I know.”

Freeney told Bleacher Report that players should take their surroundings and status into account before leaving the house with a firearm. He said players are often targets for people looking to start a fight and that having a gun escalates the situation to unnecessary heights.

“As players, we have too much to lose. People will pick fights with you because of who you are. Some guys target us. If that happens, and you’re in public carrying a gun, what do you think will happen?”

The NFL is investigating Talib’s incident, which the Broncos cornerback claims was an accident. Talib told police he was intoxicated at the time of the shooting, which he said occurred at a park. The police report, however, places the incident at V Live nightclub and included two other gunshot victims.

Under Texas law, if the incident occurred at V Live, Talib could be charged with a third-degree felony for carrying a firearm without a license at a place that sells liquor. If the incident took place at a park, he could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for possessing a handgun while intoxicated. Regardless of location, if Talib did indeed shoot himself, he will likely be hit with a Class B misdemeanor for firing the gun in a public place.

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