Don’t Expect Jay Feely To Don A ‘Los Cardinals’ Jersey This Season

Most kickers go unseen and unheard of until they do something bad on the field. And then there’s Jay Feely, who always seems ready to voice his concerns and opinions on the world. Be it his thoughts on Chris Henry just after his passing or his new comments on the Arizona immigration debate. A recent signee with the Arizona Cardinals, Feely told The Matt Minkus Show why he felt the state was doing the right thing.

“I think that a lot of people have put it on Arizona and talked in a derogatory manner about the state, but the reality is that the federal government has failed to address the situation. And because they haven’t addressed the situation, because the politicians and presidents have not stepped in to a difficult situation because they’re scared of it, then they leave it to the four or five states that are dramatically impacted by the problem to then try to find a solution. I think that’s what the state of Arizona is doing, saying ‘we have a problem, we have an undue burden because we have illegals that come over that place a burden on our schools systems, that place a burden on our health-care system, on our police force, and we have to find a solution and our federal government hasn’t done that.’”

Mike Florio of PFT rightfully remarks that we shouldn’t condemn Feely’s comments or his right to say them. But it does set a new precedent in the debate by an athlete directly in the line of fire.

Feely, as an employee of the local football team headquartered in Arizona, has publicly taken a side on an extremely polarizing issue. For a guy who plays one of the most fungible positions in football, it’s a move that was either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.