SUPER BOWL XXI : NOTEBOOK : Yes, That Was Pistol-Packing Phil

Sharp-eyed television viewers who thought they saw Phil McConkey, the New York Giants’ wide receiver-punt returner, with a pistol as the teams left the field Sunday after the Super Bowl game, saw precisely that.

McConkey was seen, briefly, handing the gun to a National Football League security guard. It had been dropped by a Pasadena policeman.

“At the end of the game, one of our officers was struggling with an individual who had jumped out onto the field,” said Sgt. Phil McWade of the Pasadena Police Dept. “The officer went to the ground, and his gun came out.”

McConkey picked up the weapon, held it up, then turned it over to the security guard, who returned it to the police. There were no arrests.