Athletes’ reactions to the rash of crimes against players in recent months:

“He was at his house, you know? You can’t live in a box. Here he was, at his home, and it’s 2 o’clock in the morning or whatever it was. He wasn’t out in a club. He wasn’t out doing something. He was at home.” – Washington Redskins LB London Fletcher, on the shooting death of teammate Sean Taylor.

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“We’re always at risk. Now, people see the risk. It’s a shame it takes one of ours to get killed to see how much at risk we are out there. You never know who’s following you from practice. You never know if people are watching you and going to try to rob you. It’s easy money for them. They know you have money.” – Jacksonville Jaguars CB Terry Cousin.

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“Security is always an issue no matter what you’re doing or where you’re going – home games, road, after practice. It’s always a concern. You take certain steps to try to watch where you go, who you go with, where you are, what time of night. I tell my wife about going to the mall – I worry about that. We’re on the road, and our schedules are very public. People know when we’re not home.” – Miami • • • •

“The thing about professional athletes, I think we hate to admit that we might need security. All our lives we’ve been taking care of ourselves. Now, in a situation where we’re being targeted, we might need to step up security. Hire somebody to make sure we’re safe.” – Chicago Bulls C Ben Wallace.

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“It’s tough. Everybody knows who you are. You don’t even have to be a flashy guy. Somebody’s going to find out who you are.” – Tennessee Titans LB Keith Bulluck.

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“Especially around the holidays, I know my awareness gets a lot bigger. That’s when a lot of robberies tend to occur, around the holidays. I guess they’re trying to get stuff for their families.” – Minnesota Vikings OT Bryant McKinnie.

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“At this point now that it’s starting to touch closer to home, yeah, I can see it now that I need (extra security). I had my cousin who’s a police officer in Jacksonville give me a call yesterday and said that. I was always a guy that always felt like I never bothered anybody, so there’s no reason for anybody to do anything to me.” – New York Jets WR Laveranues Coles.

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“I think everybody in this locker room can think of an NFL player that they know personally that’s been robbed or someone has broken into their home. It’s unfortunate. Because you are a target, and the laws almost make it so you can’t protect yourself. It’s almost like there’s more protection for the crook than the actual victim.” – Carolina Panthers LB Jon Beason.

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