The airwaves have been abuzz with the Plaxico Burress incident and what the league and the Giants should do to their embattled wide receiver. It is important for fans to realize that both the league and the individual clubs do have restrictions as to what they can do in these situations. The individual does have rights that have to be considered regardless of what the personal perspective of the owner, GM or coach might be.

There are a wide range of opinions with regards to the “right to bare arms” that cuts across regional, cultural and economic backgrounds. The NFL policy is very clear. No player is allowed to have a weapon — registered or not — on any NFL-governed property. That includes practice facility, training camp, stadiums and charters.

The laws of each state are very clear as well. I have no doubt that there are any number of players that do have weapons that are not properly registered, or are registered in one state but not another. It is my experience that the players who do place a priority on possessing a weapon are not fully conversant with all the requirements that go along with gun ownership. Even though the current NFL collective bargaining agreement does not address the specifics of this issue, the all-encompassing provisions at the disposal of the Commissioner does give him the right to level the sanction he choses based on the “personal conduct” policies of the league. At the very least this will remove any ambiguity on the part of the players with regard to their understanding of what will and won’t be allowed.

As a coach, I don’t have the right to question or demand that a player not be allowed to exercise his right to have a weapon, as long as he has done so in all the appropriate and transparent ways that the law requires. However, I loved what basketball great Karl Malone had to say on the subject on ESPN’s “Between the Lines.” In essence, he asked the following: “Have you every really been in a situation where you actually needed or used a gun, and if so, what where you doing there.” As is like most things in life, when you break it down to its most basic elements your course of action usually is pretty clear.