UPDATE: Statement from Kansas City Chiefs Chairman & CEO Clark Hunt on the Jovan Belcher murder/suicide event:
“The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy. We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted. We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available to all members of the organization
Also the Chiefs announced that Sunday’s football game will proceed as scheduled:
“After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow’s game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time,” a statement from the team said.
Earlier we reported …
*Heaven help us.
What is going on? Why are so many athletes taking their own lives?
And to make already bad matters even worse, some choose to take the life of others’ with them. Clearly stating, “I already know what I’m going to do to me, and you don’t deserve to live either.”
Sorry, but that mindset – some would say- will hand you a direct pass straight to hell. But that’s another story entirely.
Jovan Belcher shot and killed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins
The latest victim in what we pray is not a trend, is Kansas City Linebacker, Jovan Belcher; who shot and killed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, who he has a 3-month-old child with; and then, went to a facility near the teams main campus, and took his own life.
This is so disturbing.
Kansas City police told the Kansas City Star that the couple had gotten into an argument around 7:00a.m. on Saturday morning. Belcher fired several shots at Perkins – who was rushed to the hospital and then pronounced dead. Perkins mother had witnessed the shooting and called the police; who found Belcher in the parking lot with a gun to his head.
When Belcher drove to the destination of his suicide, members of the team’s staff saw him and attempted to stop him from committing further acts of violence, prior to him turning the gun on himself.
The Chiefs general manager, Scott Pioli and head coach, Romeo Crennel, were apparently in the vicinity. Belcher is said to have thanked them for everything they’d done.
“Pioli and Crennel and another coach or employee was standing outside and appeared to be talking to him. It appeared they were talking to the suspect,” Kansas City police spokesman Darin Snapp said. “The suspect began to walk in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers and that’s when they heard the gunshot.”
Previous to Belcher, OJ Murdock of the Tennessee Titans shot himself while sitting in his car this past July. Belcher now becomes another NFL player who has committed suicide.
RELATED STORY: Four Current or Former NFL Players Have Committed Suicide in the Last Eight Months
In the video below, Darin Snapp, of the Kansas City police dept responds to reporters’ questions about the incident.
Imagine a gossip columnist saying someone is going to hell.Gossiping is a sin so have a seat.
The Chiefs, who are 1-10 and have been heavily criticized by fans and media this season, and Kansas City Mayor Sly James didn’t rule that out as a factor in what may have made Belcher commit such a horrible crime.
“We find a number of reasons to divide ourselves,” James said. “We can get pretty mean-spirited. We can talk about 25, 26, 30-year-old kids playing a game as if they are trash if they don’t perform up to our standards. Most of us have never played the game above high school, but all of a sudden we can tear them apart if they don’t meet our expectations. That has an impact on people . . . we could stand to put things in better perspective sometimes.”
James questioned priorities in some cases.
“We spend a lot of time, effort and energy looking at our sports stars,” he said, “but we have schools that are not working, we’ve got kids who need things and people who live on the street, and we don’t put nearly that amount of energy into those issues. . . . This is an indication of it.
James added: “I’m here, you’re here, we’re all here because a young man in a high-profile position, for whatever reasons, felt the end of the world had come and he had to act in the way he did. What kind of burden was he under to do that? What is it like to be unable to go to dinner without people getting in your face and calling you scum and loser and everything else?
“There are more factors we can fathom in a conversation about this. All things are factors in what happens in our lives. And sometimes we get a little bit overboard in what we do. I don’t know what happened here, none of us do. There’s only one person who does, and unfortunately he’s unable to tell us. But the bottom line is we as a society and as a city have to recognize when we’re talking about people . . . we’re talking about real, honest to God people, and they have lives and feelings. ”
James did not intend to address reporters on Saturday, but because no one from the club met with the media, he took it upon himself.
“I’m a little embarrassed by this, quite frankly. I wasn’t planning to do this,” he said, “but on the other hand, I’ve got to. Somebody has to say something.
“I hope people will look at the act and not try to judge the person . . . we’re talking about kids who are 25, 26 years old playing in circumstances that most of us never dream of and living lives in fishbowls, and sometimes that becomes unbearable.
“Beyond all of that, there are a lot of people who are hurting. There’s a young baby without parents at this point . . . this is time to start looking at these things a little differently.”
The Chiefs, who are 1-10 and have been heavily criticized by fans and media this season, and Kansas City Mayor Sly James didn’t rule that out as a factor in what may have made Belcher commit such a horrible crime.
You know, as sorry as that excuse sound, I guess it got to be given some consideration when talking about a man who would kill the mother of his child in front of her mother. They say you shouldn’t say anything bad about a person when they pass, but what good can anyone say about this guy? It has now been revealed that they were arguing about him coming home late. I can just imagine how awkward it was for her to try and explain to her visiting mother why her boyfriend was out so late. This may have contributed to the intensity of the argument, but certainly that is no reason for committing such a horrific act. He’s not the first person to play on a losing team and he still had his NFL contract, so what was so horrible about his life?
Oh, he snapped. Yeah, right. I’m pretty sure if you look back in this guy’s life there will be warning signs. Warning signs that should not be ignored by potential mates. There are people on this site, however, who will blame the woman for badgering him into doing it.