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Jovan Belcher story gallery

An autopsy performed on former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker and West Babylon native Jovan Belcher, who fatally shot his girlfriend before committing suicide, found that his brain had signs of a degenerative disease. 
On Dec. 1, 2012, Belcher, 25, shot Kasandra Perkins, 22, at the couple's suburban Kansas City, Missouri, home. He later drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of the Chiefs' then-general manager and then-head coach. 
The autopsy, released Monday, revealed Belcher's brain had signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a form of brain damage found in athletes and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries. 
The autopsy was performed in December at the request of lawyers for Zoey Belcher, the daughter of Belcher and Perkins, who was 2 months old at the time of her parents' deaths. 
Attorney Kenneth B. McClain -- whose client is the conservator who was appointed to represent Belcher's daughter -- said the diagnosis was made by Dr. Piotr Kozlowski, a neuropathologist in Staten Island. McClain, of Independence, Missouri, said Kozlowski is highly recognized in this area of study. 
"He examined the brain and in each of the seven areas he examined he found tangles representative of CTE of the brain and so rendered the diagnosis that this is consistent with CTE seen in the brains of other deceased players," McClain said. "It confirms what we thought." 
Cheryl Shepherd, Belcher's mother, sued the Chiefs in late December, alleging Belcher had suffered repetitive head trauma and that the team failed to provide adequate medical care before the shooting deaths. 
The Chiefs declined to comment on the autopsy results. In a statement, the NFL said: "The NFL has a long history of a changing the rules of the game to make it safer on the field, providing players the best medical care, and updating protocols on diagnosing concussions, treating concussions, and returning to play after a concussion." 
Belcher's body was exhumed at a cemetery in Bay Shore at his family's request earlier in December so that his brain could be studied for any signs of CTE. 
Shepherd did not return a message seeking comment. 
Shepherd's lawsuit and other legal actions by more than 30 plaintiffs, including many former Chiefs players, has been moved to federal court and set aside while the $765 million concussion claims settlement between the NFL and thousands of retired players moves through the approval process. 
CTE has been found in other former NFL players. They include Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and Andre Waters -- all of whom committed suicide. 
Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the neurosurgery department of NorthShore Neurological Institute in Illinois, said violence is not typically linked to CTE. "If corroborated and found to be true, they [the findings] are of great interest," Bailes said. "The second thing, CTE has not typically been associated with violence or homicidal behavior. One notable exception was Chris Benoit, the WWE wrestler who killed his wife and son, and hanged himself in Atlanta [in 2007]. But for the most part, it hasn't been part of CTE." 
Dirk Vandever, a Kansas City attorney representing some plaintiffs in head injury lawsuits against the Chiefs, said the results of the autopsy were released now because of the increased awareness of domestic violence cases plaguing the NFL. 
"In the past month, five different NFL players [were] implicated in horrendous episodes in domestic violence," Vandever said. 
With AP 
<h2>Brain disease Jovan Belcher may have had</h2> 
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes and other individuals with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and hits to the head. Former Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher showed signs of CTE, an autopsy released Monday indicates. 
WHO IT AFFECTS: Known to affect boxers since the 1920s. However, recent reports have confirmed CTE in retired pro football players and other athletes. 
HOW IT HAPPENS: Trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the buildup of an abnormal protein called tau. The impact on the brain can begin months, years or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of athletic involvement. 
ASSOCIATED WITH: Memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression and, eventually, progressive dementia. 
Source: Boston University's CTE Center

SPBELC30

Jovan Belcher autopsy showed signs of CTE, brain damage

Jovan Belcher -- cropped

Brady Quinn still hasn't gotten over the tragic events of last December, and he suspects he never truly will come to grips with what happened. Even when he tries to push away the memories, they creep back, often when he least expects it.
Quinn was on his way to the Kansas City Chiefs' training complex the day before a game against the Panthers when he got the call on his cellphone and heard the news: Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who starred at West Babylon High School, had murdered his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and then driven to the practice facility before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide in a parking lot.
"I was trying to wrap my mind around how it could even be possible, how someone could do that and allow that to happen," Quinn, who was signed this week as a Jets backup quarterback, told me in a quiet voice at his locker. "Having a daughter and a girlfriend that you love, and you realize the impact it will have on everyone's life, especially his daughter. It was just a lot of those emotions and feelings and thoughts going through your head. The fact that he's your teammate, your friend."
Once they arrived at the facility, Quinn and his Chiefs teammates were redirected away from the area where Belcher shot himself in full view of coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli, both of whom had tried to talk Belcher out of taking his own life. The next 36 hours were mostly a blur, with everyone associated with the team not only trying to come to terms with what had just happened but preparing to play a game the next day.
The Chiefs beat the Panthers, 27-21, one of only two wins the entire season, and Quinn performed brilliantly, going 19-for-23 for 201 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His rating of 132.1 was the second highest of his career.
But afterward, through teary eyes, Quinn said he could only think of his fallen teammate, of the woman he murdered and their infant daughter, Zoey. And why he didn't see the warning signs.
"We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that's fine," Quinn said then, "but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis."
And now, more than nine months removed from the tragedy, Quinn still struggles at times to make sense of it all. A few weeks ago, when he was in the Seahawks' training camp, a team psychologist asked how he was doing. Quinn realized he hadn't fully gotten over it and probably never will.
"When something like that happens, you're in the midst of a season, and you kind of try to think about it but not think about it,'' he said. "You think about it because it's the loss of your teammate and the family and how they were affected, but you try to push it away because we had games left to play. It was tough. mentioned that I really never had an opportunity to grieve."
Quinn occasionally will reach out to his former Chiefs teammates. He understands that they share this unshakable bond for having been through an event that has no logical explanation.
"I'm not fully over it, and I don't know if a lot of those players will be over it," Quinn said.
And then there is the nagging feeling that he could have done more, that they all could have done more -- whether it was seeing warning signs that might have been there or offering a shoulder to lean on.
"I think a lot of people wish they could have done something differently to help out," he said. "You just try to do the best you can to be as good a person and a teammate to the people in the locker room as you can."
So all he can do now is try to be a better teammate. Be a better person. And be there if someone needs help.
"You have to learn something from it," said Quinn, who organized a players' fund to benefit Zoey. "There are some tragedies that can be stopped if people just take the time to care more about each other. A lot of times, people are more worried about their own problems instead of the people around them. Inevitably, that may affect you.
"Life's not easy," he said. "We're all in this together."

Columnists

Bob Glauber

SPGLAUB06

Murder-suicide by teammate still haunts Brady Quinn

quinn belcher composite cropped

<a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> linebacker Jovan Belcher sent a text message to his secret girlfriend saying he "would shoot" the mother of his child "if she didn't leave him alone" less than two months before he fatally shot her and committed suicide, case records obtained Tuesday by Newsday show.
Belcher, 25, a <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a> native, shot Kasandra Perkins, 22, between eight and 10 times with a .40-caliber handgun in their suburban <a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">Kansas City, Mo</a>., home, according to the final report on the Dec. 1 shooting by <a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">Kansas City</a> police and prosecutors in Jackson County, Mo. It says Belcher then shot himself with a different weapon at <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>.
According to the case records, which include witness statements and details about evidence, police found a bullet <a href="/topics//Hole_(band)">hole</a> in the floor of the master bathroom where Belcher killed Perkins, and the spent round went through to the basement. 
Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, told investigators she heard a "thump" before the shots were fired, records show. Shepherd said she had recently moved into the couple's home to help them work through "relationship problems" -- and to help care for their 3-month-old daughter, Zoey. 
Shepherd told detectives the couple had argued the morning of the shooting about "one or both of them going out as in to a club or partying," according to the records.
Jackson County prosecutors closed the case Friday after deeming it a murder-suicide, a law-enforcement source said. 
Among the other revelations in the case file:
Belcher told his second girlfriend, 22, that Perkins "knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry." He also told her Perkins had "threatened to take all his money and his child if they split up."
Police saw 10 gunshot wounds on the front of Perkins body and five wounds on the back of her body.
Chiefs head coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> told investigators Belcher had missed a team meeting earlier in the season and blamed Perkins for his absence, telling the coach that Perkins had left him alone with the baby all night while she was out. Crennel told police he believed Belcher and Perkins had "trust issues." 
Crennel "stated that he got the impression that Ms. Perkins wanted to live a better life and expected to live a better life because she was with an <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a> player," according to the records. Crennel also told police he believed Belcher had reached out to a lawyer to discuss getting custody of Zoey.
Belcher's body was heavily tattooed. The designs on his skin included the words "Reckless," "Abandon," "Loyalty" and "Failure is not an option."
The files also detailed Belcher's movements in the hours before the shootings.
While Perkins was at a concert in downtown Kansas City, Belcher drove to his second girlfriend's apartment about 8:30 p.m. They went out with friends two hours later. After two hours on the town, at 12:45 a.m., Belcher kissed her goodbye and then fell asleep in his black Bentley, records show.
Shortly before 3 a.m., someone called police to report a suspicious man sleeping in his car, and officers woke Belcher.
The officers told Belcher he needed to go inside the building, but the girlfriend wasn't available, according to the records. Two women in a neighboring apartment let him sleep on their couch, the records show. 
Back home later that morning, Belcher and Perkins began to argue over one or both of them having gone out partying, records show. Shepherd told investigators she did not get involved because Perkins had accused her of interfering. 
Shepherd heard the shots and reached the bathroom in time to watch her son kiss and apologize to Perkins before saying goodbye to his mother and Zoey, records show. 
Belcher then drove to the stadium, records show, where he told Chiefs general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a>, "I'm sorry, Scott. I've done a bad thing to my girlfriend already." 
Pioli and two coaches tried to talk Belcher into putting down his gun. But Belcher walked behind a minivan, records show. There, he knelt on one knee, made the sign of the cross and shot himself.

Long Island

Suffolk

LIJOVA19

Police reports shed light on Jovan Belcher's death spiral

Javon Belcher/kmd

Recently released <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City police footage shows cops finding Jovan Belcher asleep in his car outside an apartment building in the early morning hours before he fatally shot his girlfriend and killed himself. 
 In the 10-minute dashboard camera video, recorded about 3 a.m. Dec. 1, the day of the murder-suicide, and released Friday, police shine a flashlight into a black Bentley to wake Belcher. 
 Three officers are seen and heard urging the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> linebacker to go into the building on East Armour Boulevard, to the home of a woman he apparently knows, and refrain from driving the rest of the night. 
 "You know you got a lot riding on this, and you know you got a lot to lose," one cop tells Belcher. 
 The cops are seen earlier taking Belcher's ID. 
 "Jovan Belcher," one cop says as another chuckles. "Brand-new Bentley," he says of Belcher's car. 
 Belcher appears to cooperate with police. He is not seen stumbling, but police try to keep him from getting back behind the wheel. 
 "You just need to go upstairs," an officer says. "We're trying to cut you a break here." 
 No field sobriety tests are seen being performed in the footage. 
 <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City police earlier in the week said Belcher was partying the night before the shootings. A 911 call was received about 2:50 a.m., reporting a suspicious car on East Armour Boulevard with a man inside, police had said. 
 "They said they could tell he'd been drinking," police spokesman Darrin Sapp said Tuesday. 
 Police Capt. <a href="/topics//Steve_Young">Steve Young</a> on Friday told the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Star">Kansas City Star</a> there was "no cause for a field test" and no reason to detain Belcher in those hours before the murder-suicide. "The responding officers did not smell any alcohol," he said. "As you can see, there is no stumbling, there is no slurring."<a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City police could not be immediately reached yesterday for additional comment. 
 About five hours after police and Belcher parted ways outside the East Armour Boulevard building, Belcher, 25, a West Babylon native, killed his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, 22, in their Independence, Mo., home and then shot himself in front of three team officials at <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>, authorities said. The couple leave behind a 3-month-old daughter, who is to be raised in West Babylon by Belcher's mother. 
 With Kevin Deutsch and AP

LIJOVA09

Police video shows Jovan Belcher before murder-suicide

belcher video - crop

<a href="/topics//Jovan_Belcher">Jovan Belcher</a>'s mother pleads with police to send an ambulance while Kasandra Perkins lies dying of gunshot wounds on the floor and the cries of her 3-month-old daughter are heard in the background, according to a 911 audiotape of the shooting's aftermath.
The tapes, released Tuesday night as police wrapped up their investigation, portray a chaotic scene inside the upscale Independence, Mo., home moments after the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> linebacker and former West Babylon High School star shot and killed Perkins, 22, his girlfriend and the mother of his baby. He then drove to the team's practice facility, where he killed himself.
Sgt. Marisa Barnes said Wednesday the investigation has been completed but police are awaiting results of toxicology reports before discussing motive or presenting the case to prosecutors. 
Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, 54, did not want to discuss the shooting Wednesday or the frantic phone call she made to an emergency dispatcher.
"I don't appreciate it," she told The Associated Press when asked about the release of the recordings. She told AP that she had a "beautiful relationship" with Perkins.
In the tape, Shepherd alternately begged for medical help from emergency responders and attempted to comfort a dying Perkins, the tapes show. Belcher, meanwhile, was driving his black Bentley to the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a>' training facility, about 5 miles away.
The couple's relationship had sputtered in recent months, friends have said. Shepherd was staying with the couple to help care for their daughter, Zoey. She now has temporary custody of the child.
Under terms of the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>'s collective-bargaining agreement, the infant will receive more than $1 million, AP said. 
In the 911 call, the baby is heard crying as Shepherd begs the operator to send help. She consoles Perkins, whom she refers to as Kasi, called "Cassie" and "Casandra" in the transcripts. 
"Please get the ambulance here, please. Oh my God," Shepherd shouts into the phone. "Oh my God, Cassie. She's shot!"
"Your son did this?" the dispatcher asks.
Perkins can be heard faintly saying "He shot me." 
Shepherd seems to realize Perkins was slipping away, saying, "She's still breathing, but please hurry. I don't know how much time she's got. . . . Casandra stay with me! The ambulance is on its way. You hear me? You hear me? Casandra? Stay with me!"
"Is she awake?" the dispatcher asked.
"Barely," Shepherd says, her voice cracking. "She's moving when I talk to her. Please God. Please just get the ambulance here."
The dispatcher asks about Belcher: "Where's your son?" 
"He left," Shepherd says.
"OK," the dispatcher asks. "They were arguing and he shot her?"
"Yes," Shepherd says. "There were arguing."
The night before the shooting, Perkins attended a concert, while Belcher was seen drinking with another woman at several bars.
Wednesday, friends and family attended a memorial service for Belcher at the Landmark International Deliverance and Worship Center in <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City. Funeral arrangements had not been completed.
Shepherd said she has been working on arrangements for her son, but hasn't been sleeping or eating much since the shootings. She said her granddaughter is doing "fine."
With Tania Lopez

LIJOVA06

Police close Belcher probe, release 911 tapes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Investigators believe alcohol, and stress in the relationship between Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, played roles in Belcher killing Perkins and then himself, a Kansas City, Mo., police source said Tuesday. 
 Before the Saturday morning murder-suicide, police said, the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> provided couples counseling to Belcher, 25, a linebacker from West Babylon, and Perkins, 22. 
 Friends of Perkins have said there was tension between the two that escalated after the birth of their daughter, now 3 months old, and a police source said the two argued about money. 
 In other revelations that came out Tuesday from Kansas City police, they said Belcher's mother -- who had been at his home visiting -- described the scene after the shooting. She said Belcher knelt down in the master bedroom of the house the couple shared, and kissed his slain girlfriend on the forehead, saying, "I'm sorry," police said. 
 Then, police said, Belcher kissed their daughter, Zoey, apologized to his mother, and drove his Bentley to <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a> about 8 a.m. There, police said, Belcher told Chiefs coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and other team officials "I have to do this," before kneeling behind a vehicle, crossing himself and firing the shot that ended his life. 
 In a transcript of the 911 call Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, made to police, she says of Perkins, "She's still breathing but please hurry. I don't know how much time she's got." 
 With the baby crying in the background, the police dispatcher is heard asking where Belcher is. Shepherd answers: "He left." The dispatcher asks: "OK, they were arguing and he shot her?" and she answers, "Yes, [they] were arguing." 
 On Monday, police investigators said they had talked to witnesses who saw Belcher at several bars in the trendy downtown Power and Light District Friday night, and he appeared intoxicated hours before the shootings. 
 Tuesday, a police official said a 911 call was received around 2:50 a.m. Saturday from someone reporting a suspicious car with a man inside, outside an apartment building on the 700 block of East Armour Boulevard. Responding officers found Belcher asleep in his car and asked him to show them identification, which police said he did. 
 The officers said Belcher was intoxicated, according to Kansas City police spokesman Darrin Sapp. "They said they could tell he'd been drinking," he said. 
 Police said Belcher told officers he was waiting for his "girlfriend" -- not Perkins, but another woman -- who lived in the building, and he called her at their request. Someone then let Belcher in, police said, and he stayed there before going home. 
 A woman who identified herself as Brittni Glass, an alias, said she was out with Belcher the night before the shootings, saying: " We just went out. Nothing was wrong. It's just a tragedy." 
 With Lauren R. Harrison

LIJOVA05

In Jovan Belcher murder-suicide, stress, alcohol factors, says source

Jovan Belcher - cropped

<a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">KANSAS CITY, Mo</a>. -- Jovan Belcher was out partying and drinking the night before he killed his girlfriend and shot himself in the head, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said Monday. 
 Police investigators have talked to witnesses who said Belcher was seen at several bars in the trendy Power and Light District Friday night, and appeared intoxicated hours before the shootings, the source said. 
 Brianna Donovan, who lives about three miles from the downtown district, said she saw Belcher on the third floor of her building knocking "very hard" on a neighbor's door between 2 and 3 a.m. Saturday. She said he was "drunk, obviously drunk" and, when she confronted him, he told her he was trying to get into the apartment of her neighbor, whom he knew by name. 
 He told her they had become separated while out in the district and that he was supposed to stay there, she said. Two of her neighbors came out into the hallway and agreed to let him stay in their apartment, she said, "because he couldn't go anywhere" in his condition. "He said he needed to sleep," Donovan said. 
 She said he asked to be awakened up around 6:30 for football practice. 
 He later returned to the home he shared with his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, 22, who had been out at a concert the night before, and shot her to death. He killed himself later in the parking lot of the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> practice facility. 
 A report by <a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">Kansas City</a> police, released Monday, said that before Belcher's suicide, team officials tried to talk with him. 
 On the 911 call, an officer at the stadium said: "I've got two coaches and one other employee here [who are] trying to make with this guy. . . . I've got at least four guys standing there trying to negotiate with him. I haven't made contact." 
 But just after 8 a.m., Belcher "moved to an area behind a vehicle. From that position, Belcher shot himself," the report said. The 25-year-old linebacker from West Babylon was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Autopsy reports on Belcher and Perkins won't be ready for another six to eight weeks, officials said. 
 Police found Perkins' body at 7:52 a.m. at their home, the report said. Officers saw her on the floor of the master bathroom, with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the report. 
 A paramedic at the murder scene said, in his 911 call, that he was "with an early 20s female. She's been shot about three or four times, one in the chest, one in the neck and one in the abdomen. All went through." She was later pronounced dead, the report said. 
 <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City police spokesman Darin Sapp confirmed Monday that two handguns were used by Belcher, both legally registered to him." 
 A friend of Perkins, Lauren Hall, said Belcher and Perkins sometimes practiced at a local shooting range. "They enjoyed it," Hall said. "They both liked to shoot. He helped her learn." 
 The reports were released as relatives of Belcher and Perkins Monday broke their silence. Speaking from the front porch of the West Babylon home where he grew up, near a makeshift memorial , a cousin and a niece of the player read a statement. 
 Yamiesse <a href="/topics//Lawrence,_KS">Lawrence</a>, 31, Belcher's cousin, said, "The impact that this inconceivable tragedy has had on our <a href="/topics//Hearts_FC">hearts</a> is immeasurable; we are overwhelmed with both sadness and confusion." 
 Quaresha Boston, 19, Belcher’s niece, said: “We loved Jovan. His kindness, humility, respect and gratitude for family and friends were steadfast. The man we knew and loved for over 25 years embraced life and excelled at all he put his energy behind.” 
 She added: “Jovan was overjoyed when Kasandra gave birth to their daughter, Zoey. He was happy to be a new father, and both he and Kasandra loved Zoey greatly.” 
 In a statement, the Perkins family asked for privacy “as we grieve for our loved one” and said they appreciated “the outpouring of love and support.” 
 “Please keep us in your <a href="/topics//Hearts_FC">hearts</a> and prayers as well as the Belcher family,” the statement said. 
 Chiefs running back <a href="/topics//Jamaal_Charles">Jamaal Charles</a> and his wife, Whitney, also released a statement confirming that Perkins and Whitney Charles are cousins. 
 “As my actual family and my Kansas City Chief family have been altered forever, we ask that you keep us and, most importantly, their child in prayer,” the statement said. 
 Kansas City police said they would finish their investigation and turn it over to the Jackson County district attorney. 
 Also Monday, the <a href="/topics//University_of_Maine">University of Maine</a> released a 2006 incident report that said, as a student, Belcher had cut his wrist and thumb punching a dormitory window after being “upset over a girl.” 
 With Zachary R. Dowdy, Gary Dymski, Deon J. Hampton, Tania Lopez and Lauren R. Harrison

News

LIJOVA04

Jovan Belcher partied night before killing himself, girlfriend: source

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel stood before his team Saturday afternoon, offering a simple message to his players dealing with an unspeakable tragedy that had happened just yards away from where he was speaking.
"You have to rely on each other, rely on your family and friends, and rely on your faith," Crennel said. 
A few minutes later, Crennel sent his players home, telling them to "be with their families and loved ones."
Only hours earlier, linebacker Jovan Belcher, the former high school star at West Babylon, had killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, at their Kansas City home, then killed himself in front of the Chiefs' training facility near <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>. Crennel, along with general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a> and defensive coordinator <a href="/topics//Gary_Gibbs">Gary Gibbs</a>, witnessed Belcher's suicide.
After the Chiefs beat <a href="/topics//Pittsburgh_Panthers_(football)">the Panthers</a>, 27-21, Crennel said in a news conference yesterday that he did not want to discuss any details of seeing Belcher kill himself. Pioli and Gibbs did not speak to reporters.
"I'm choosing not to answer any questions about what I saw, and hopefully you'll respect my wishes on that because it wasn't a pretty sight," Crennel said. "So I'm choosing not to talk about it." 
Crennel knew he had to remain strong for his players, especially after it was decided in a meeting with the team's six captains that the game would be played. "I'm even-keeled, and I felt that I would be able to handle it," Crennel said. "I knew that I needed to be strong for the players in that locker room. They needed a strong individual leader."
He was just that, helping the team cope with the tragedy by offering a steadying influence. 
"You can call him 'Rock'," center <a href="/topics//Ryan_Lilja">Ryan Lilja</a> said, playing off Crennel's nickname of "RAC." "He was our rock. There was nobody hurting more than him. What he went through, what he's going through, nobody was hurting more than he was. He was a steady, consistent leader for us."
Chiefs owner <a href="/topics//Clark_Hunt">Clark Hunt</a> is concerned about Crennel's emotional well-being, however. Hunt said the team will make sure Crennel, Pioli and Gibbs receive proper emotional support in the days and weeks ahead. 
"As an organization, we really want to make sure we stay focused on them," Hunt said. "They were in the mode of 'Hey, we have to play a game and we have a job to do.' But I also know that they have a lot of pain on the inside, and we need to be attentive to that and make sure it's being addressed."
Crennel expressed sympathy to the families affected.
"Our prayers go out to the family of Kasandra Perkins," he said. "They are grieving and we send our condolences to their family. Our prayers and condolences go out to the family of Jovan Belcher. They're also grieving. Our prayers and hopes go out to a 3-month-old girl who will never get to know her mother and father."
Crennel said he had no inkling Belcher had had any emotional problems. Hunt said the team's medical staff said there were no unusual physical issues affecting Belcher, including concussions. "Jovan was a good teammate, a hard worker, sitting in front of the [meeting] room all the time, and you don't expect anything like what happened," Crennel said. "I think the thing that we have to understand is that when any person has an issue or has a problem, if they're not totally honest with you about their issues or their problems, then you cannot give them the correct help." 
He knows the grieving will continue, but Crennel said playing Sunday offered a chance to escape the pain, if only for a few hours. "That's what we do," he said. "We are football players, football coaches and we play and coach on Sunday. That's why I wanted to play the game after talking with the captains. They also felt like it was best that we play, if for no other reason that it takes our minds off our misery for a few hours. It helped us do that."

SPJOVAN03

Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel a 'rock' for his players after sudden tragedy

Panthers Chiefs Football

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Ryan Lilja's eyes welled as he recalled the emotions in the Chiefs' locker room moments after Sunday's victory. 
The win came just a day after linebacker <a href="/topics//Jovan_Belcher">Jovan Belcher</a>, who grew up in West Babylon, killed his girlfriend and later committed suicide in front of the team's training facility.
"It was different. There were emotions that guys aren't used to feeling after wins or losses," said Lilja, an offensive lineman and nine-year veteran. "Guys were confused. There were new feelings. A lot of hugs, a lot of tears and a lot of guys saying 'I love you' and meaning it."
The players still were coming to grips with the sequence of events, and many players' eyes were moist with tears as they explained how difficult it was to deal with the loss of a teammate and anger about Belcher killing Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, Zoey.
"I think we're all struggling to understand and trying to reconcile the conflicting emotions we have about a teammate, a family member, and the tragic events that happened," tackle <a href="/topics//Eric_Winston">Eric Winston</a> said. "That's the most confusing and the hardest part to know about all this. I don't think you're ever going to be able to understand this."
He said it was a good decision to play the game. "What are our options, wait for another day and keep the agony and anguish going?" Winston said. "In a lot of ways, it was therapeutic to play and get to go out there and spend some emotion on this. It was nice to be able to go out there and sort of forget about this for three hours."
<a href="/topics//Derrick_Johnson">Derrick Johnson</a>, one of Belcher's closest friends, said it hit him when he woke up Sunday morning. "It was one of those things where you think it's a bad dream, and you wake up and it's still there," said Johnson, who played inside linebacker next to Belcher. "He and I have grown really close, and this is devastating."
Johnson now hopes he and his teammates will learn from the tragedy that seeking help when problems occur is far better than suppressing emotions.
"This situation shows that we need to talk to each other more as men, not just as football players," he said. "Generally, men don't really show their feelings, we don't talk about what's going on. To have an act like this go on that could have been avoided, as a teammate, we need to make sure the teammate is OK."
Said quarterback <a href="/topics//Brady_Quinn">Brady Quinn</a>: "I know when it happened, I was thinking, 'What could I have done differently?' We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and <a href="/topics//Facebook">Facebook</a>, and it seems like half the time we're more preoccupied with our phone instead of actual relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis." 
Quinn said the emotions hit him hardest when he walked into the locker room and saw Belcher's uniform hanging in his locker. Chiefs officials had decided to keep the uniform up for this game, admittedly walking a fine line considering the conflicting feelings about Belcher's actions. The team is expected to remove the uniform for future games. 
"When I looked across and I saw his jersey hanging up, that's when it kind of hit me," said Quinn, who indicated the team soon will create a foundation to assist Belcher's orphaned daughter. "It was kind of tough to step back and gain focus. More than anything, we wanted to try to come together as a team and bring some good to the situation." 
Chiefs running back <a href="/topics//Jamaal_Charles">Jamaal Charles</a> was unavailable for comment. His wife reportedly introduced Belcher to Perkins, who was a member of the Chiefs' Women's Organization.
"I feel for Jamaal more than anybody," Winston said. "He's probably had the toughest day. [Perkins] was family to him."

SPREACT03

Chiefs players cope with tragic losses: 'A lot of hugs, a lot of tears'

Mike DeVito is one of a handful of <a href="/topics//Maine_Black_Bears_(football)">University of Maine</a> alums in the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>, part of the same small fraternity as Jovan Belcher. 
 "I remember I had him on his recruiting trip [to Maine]. I was one of the guys that [hosted] him," the <a href="/topics//New_York_Jets">Jets</a> defensive end said after his team's 7-6 win over <a href="/topics//Arizona">Arizona</a> Sunday. 
 Belcher, a former West Babylon high school star, murdered his girlfriend, then committed suicide at the Chiefs' facility Saturday morning. 
 DeVito, who said he last spoke with Belcher last Dec. 11, when the Chiefs visited the <a href="/topics//New_York_Jets">Jets</a>, regrets that he lost touch with his college teammate and friend. 
 "We'd sent a couple texts back and forth, very sporadic; I haven't talked to him in a while," DeVito said. "That's something that I'm upset with myself about, because I do remember Belcher from college, the type of person that he was . . . It's just really upsetting." 
 DeVito, in his sixth <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a> season, still was shocked about the news he heard the previous day. 
 "I couldn't be more saddened, more disappointed -- it's so tough for both families," he said. "It really shows you how fast things can happen. Looking at the situation, it makes me wish I'd have stayed in better touch with him. When you leave college, you start going your separate ways. I wish I would have stayed in contact with him, because you always think how could you have helped. How could you have done something, maybe be there for somebody. 
 "Just an awful situation. I've been praying for both families constantly and just praying something like that never happens again."

SPDEVITO03

Mike DeVito saddened by news of former Maine teammate Jovan Belcher

spJETS14

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Before the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> kicked off their game Sunday, fans at Arrowhead Stadium observed a moment of silence for the victims of domestic violence and their families.
Not mentioned was Javon Belcher, the Chiefs linebacker who killed his girlfriend and then himself a day earlier, across the parking lot from the stadium.
Barely more than 24 hours later, fans grilled, played catch and enjoyed beverages on an unseasonably warm and sunny day.
The festive <a href="/topics//Atmosphere_(musician)">atmosphere</a> masked some of the pain Chiefs fans felt after hearing that Belcher had killed 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, then drove to the team practice facility and turned the gun on himself. The couple had an infant daughter.
Coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a> had tried to stop Belcher, and watched powerless as he shot himself in the head after thanking both of them for giving him a chance in the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>.
"To have to witness that, I don't think you would wish that on your worst enemy," Chiefs fan Ty Rowton said. "That memory will never, ever leave them."
Missing from the sky above Arrowhead Stadium was the small plane that had carried a banner during previous home games calling for Pioli's firing. Fans, many of whom had been wearing black Chiefs apparel in recent games to protest the team's performance, turned out in red again.
"Now everybody's just in shock," Rowton said.
Arrowhead was less than half full, and quieter than usual, though the fans made some noise when <a href="/topics//Peyton_Hillis">Peyton Hillis</a> scored a touchdown. The big running back took the ball over to the sideline, where he handed it to Crennel and gave the coach a big hug.
Chiefs fan Ben <a href="/topics//Ben_Cunningham">Cunningham</a>, a 32-year-old who has missed only one home game in 23 years, said he feels sorry for the families and friends who now must endure the aftermath of Saturday's shootings, but not for Belcher.
"I don't have much sympathy for him," Cunningham said. "He caused a lot of heartbreak for a lot of people."

SPSCENE03

Chiefs fans tailgate, mourn Jovan Belcher murder-suicide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt offered his condolences Sunday to the families affected by the murder-suicide involving one of his players, calling it "an incredibly difficult 24 hours for our family and for our organization." 
 Hunt spoke to The Associated Press on the field before the Chiefs' game against the <a href="/topics//Carolina_Panthers">Carolina Panthers</a>. He said the Chiefs consulted with the league about whether to play the game as scheduled, but ultimately left it up to coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and the team captains to decide. 
 Crennel, general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a> and defensive coordinator <a href="/topics//Gary_Gibbs">Gary Gibbs</a> were in the parking lot of the Chiefs' practice facility Saturday morning when linebacker Jovan Belcher shot himself in the head. Belcher had shot his girlfriend multiple times at a nearby residence minutes earlier. 
 Hunt said Pioli called him from the parking lot immediately after the shooting, and that he flew from his home in the Dallas area to Kansas City on Saturday afternoon. 
 "I spent the evening last night at the team hotel with them," Hunt said. "I wanted to be there with the team, with the coaches, to let them know I love them and support them and know what they're going through, and particularly the guys who were present in the parking lot when Jovan took his life. I know this has to be incredibly difficult." 
 The Chiefs had several counselors on hand at the team hotel Saturday night. The <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a> and the players' association have also pledged their support to the team. 
 Hunt said that Belcher was "a player who had not had a long concussion history." 
 Belcher was in his fourth year with the Chiefs after making the team as an undrafted free agent out of <a href="/topics//Maine">Maine</a>, and team officials said he was particularly close to Pioli. 
 "We have a lot of players who were struggling, people who had spent countless hours with Jovan over the last several years, the linebacking group in particular," Hunt said. "I know it's going to be difficult for them today. I told them all we can do in a situation like this is pull together as a family and support each other." 
 Kansas City police have not released a motive for the shooting of 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, other than to say the couple had been arguing in recent days. They left behind a 3-month-old daughter, Zoey, who was being cared for by family. 
 The Chiefs intend to help start a foundation to help the infant later in the life. 
 "We lost two members of the Chiefs family," Hunt said. "Kasandra was part of our Chiefs women's organization, and had done things in the community with the CWO group. They have a daughter now, Zoey, who is an orphan. I can't imagine how difficult that's going to be for her." 
 Some of the Chiefs huddled together in prayer in the tunnel leading to the field prior to pregame stretching. The Chiefs had a moment of silence for all victims of domestic abuse before the national anthem on Sunday. After running back <a href="/topics//Peyton_Hillis">Peyton Hillis</a> scored a touchdown on the opening possession, he ran to the sideline and gave the ball to Crennel along with a hug. 
 Hunt said that he had a number of conversations Saturday with Commissioner <a href="/topics//Roger_Goodell">Roger Goodell</a> on whether to play the game against Carolina as scheduled. Ultimately, Hunt asked Crennel to discuss with team captains how they wanted to proceed. 
 "Of course, the captains had been in conversation with their teammates," Hunt said, "and they unanimously believed the right thing to do was play the game." 
 The Chiefs family has dealt before with murder-suicide. Retired tackle Jim Tyrer, a mainstay on the <a href="/topics//Super_Bowl">Super Bowl</a> champion team of 1969, was reportedly despondent over not finding a job when he shot his wife and himself in their Kansas City home on the morning of Sept. 15, 1980. 
 There have been other tragedies that have struck close to home. 
 Mack Lee Hill, an undrafted fullback who went on to star for the Chiefs in 1965, died of complications following surgery on an injured right knee. The Chiefs later inaugurated the Mack Lee Hill Award given every year to the outstanding rookie. 
 On Feb. 8, 1990, eight-time <a href="/topics//Pro_Bowl">Pro Bowl</a> linebacker <a href="/topics//Derrick_Thomas">Derrick Thomas</a> died of a massive blood clot two weeks after he was paralyzed in a traffic accident. He had been thrown onto the <a href="/topics//Pavement_(band)">pavement</a> when the vehicle he was driving flipped on a slick, snow-covered highway. 
 On June 29, 1983, popular running back Joe Delaney drowned in his native <a href="/topics//Louisiana">Louisiana</a> while saving three children from drowning. He had rushed for 1,121 yards his rookie year in 1981, and set four team records, helping the Chiefs post their first winning record since 1973. 
 "I've spent a fair amount of time reflecting on the other losses the organization has suffered, and no two of them were the same," Hunt said. "Every situation is different, but it's still a loss, a tremendous loss."

SPHUNT03

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt: 'So many people are hurting' after Jovan Belcher murder-suicide

Tension between <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> linebacker Jovan Belcher and girlfriend Kasandra Perkins -- whom police said he fatally shot before killing himself at <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a> -- escalated after the birth of their daughter three months ago, her family and friends said Sunday. 
 "It wasn't a healthy thing that was going on," Angela U. Perkins, 32, of Round Rock, <a href="/topics//Texas">Texas</a>, said of the relationship between Belcher and the cousin she knew as "Kasi." 
 Belcher's family members, however, cautioned against speculating about the couple's relationship, saying the former <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a> High School <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football</a> star had never displayed any violent tendencies. 
 Belcher, 25, and Kasandra Perkins, 22, were "the only people who knew what went on in their relationship," Belcher's sister, Charmaine Shepherd, said outside their childhood home Sunday. "And both of them are gone." 
 The infant, Zoey Michelle Belcher, was unharmed on Saturday and is in the care of Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, 58, <a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">Kansas City</a> Police said. Cheryl Shepherd, who police said witnessed her son <a href="/topics//Shooting_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">shoot</a> Kasandra Perkins "multiple times" Saturday morning in their Independence, Mo., home, was to return to <a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> with the baby, family members said, without specifying a time. 
 Cheryl Shepherd Sunday said her family was heartbroken over both deaths. 
 "Right now, we are grieving for Kasandra and Jovan," she said in a telephone interview. "We are in mourning." 
 Neither family had released funeral arrangements as of Sunday night. 
 Shock over the murder-suicide rippled from <a href="/topics//Kansas_City,_MO">Kansas City</a>, where both families gathered near the Jackson County medical examiner's office and the Chiefs played a day after the shootings, to <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a>, where Belcher was a high school <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football</a> and <a href="/topics//Wrestling_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">wrestling</a> star. 
 Police Sunday did not release any new details about the investigation and did not offer a motive for the murder-suicide. Police said Saturday that the couple had been fighting after Kasandra Perkins attended a concert with friends. 
 After <a href="/topics//Shooting_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">shooting</a> his girlfriend, Belcher drove the few miles to the Chiefs' practice facility and spoke with general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a>, coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and defensive coordinator <a href="/topics//Gary_Gibbs">Gary Gibbs</a>, thanking them for the opportunity to play, before <a href="/topics//Shooting_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">shooting</a> himself in front of them, police said. 
 Eric Oakes, who said he was a cousin, said Belcher didn't experience any head trauma from <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football</a> recently and wasn't on any medication. Oakes, 20, called Belcher "more than a cousin. He was a father figure. He's the reason I started playing football." 
 Chiefs owner <a href="/topics//Clark_Hunt">Clark Hunt</a> said Sunday that Belcher, a starter who was in his fourth season with the team, had no unusual physical issues before Saturday, including concussions. 
 "We lost two members of the Chiefs family," Hunt said, noting that Kasandra Perkins had done work for the team's women's organization. 
 At <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>, where the Chiefs defeated the Carolina Panthers, a moment of silence was held for all victims of domestic violence, with no specific mention of names. Players later announced plans to set up a fund for Zoey. 
 Kasandra Perkins had gone out Friday night with girlfriends to a <a href="/topics//Trey_Songz">Trey Songz</a> concert "to take a break," said friend Lynell Diggs. 
 "He [Belcher] didn't want her going out with the baby at home," said Diggs, who was among the group of friends at the concert. 
 Cousin Angela Perkins, who said she spent time at the couple's home both before and after their daughter was born, said the stress of having a baby just before the season and Belcher's constant time away from home for practices and road games "really put a strain" on the relationship. 
 "There was just a lot going on. She was stressed. He was stressed," Perkins said. "It just started to go bad, but they had the child, and they were trying to make it work." 
 Lauren Hall, 25, who said she was also at the <a href="/topics//Trey_Songz">Trey Songz</a> concert, recalled Perkins as a "happy new mom" who had a busy social life after moving from Dallas three years ago. 
 "She strolled the baby around the neighborhood," Hall said. "She was really looking forward to raising her here and becoming a teacher" in <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City. 
 In <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a>, a makeshift memorial with flowers, balloons, posters and Chiefs jerseys had been set up outside Belcher's mother's home. A helmet from his days as a <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football player</a> at the University of Maine and a West <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a> High School varsity jacket had also been added. 
 By Sunday afternoon, more than 20 friends, former teammates and family members had visited the Matthews Avenue home. 
 "It's hard to figure out," said Emanual Logan, who lives next door and recalled how Belcher hosted a block party for children in the neighborhood this past summer.

LINABE03

Jovan Belcher's relationship with Perkins was strained, her relatives say

belcher - gf - baby - comp CROP

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, a former high school star in West Babylon, shot his girlfriend to death Saturday at their home and then killed himself in front of three team officials at Arrowhead Stadium, police said. 
 Belcher, 25, and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, 22, had a 3-month-old daughter, authorities said. They said the child is now in the custody of Belcher's mother, who witnessed the first shooting and called 911. 
 Moments before killing himself, Belcher thanked general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a> and head coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> for the opportunity he had gotten to play for Chiefs. 
 The murder-suicide stunned his team as well as his former coaches in West Babylon, who called him a role model, well-liked and with nothing in his past that could have predicted such violence. 
 "I never got any vibes about something like this," said Frank Riviezzo, who was the defensive coordinator at West Babylon when Belcher played there. 
 Police said Belcher and Perkins were arguing before the shooting. A friend of Perkins' who asked not to be identified said the couple argued after the woman was out late attending a concert by R&amp;B artist <a href="/topics//Trey_Songz">Trey Songz</a>, The <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Star">Kansas City Star</a> reported. 
 "Something went crazy wrong, and we'll probably never know what it is," his agent Joe Linta was quoted as saying on SI.com, adding he "never in a million years" thought the player was capable of such violence. 
 Belcher, a fourth-year player and starter, earned $1.927 million with the Chiefs, who at 1-10 have the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>'s worst record. 
 Police spokesman Darin Snapp told Newsday Saturday afternoon that Belcher's mother, who was in town for a weekend visit, reported the shooting shortly before 8 a.m. Perkins, shot multiple times, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. 
 Snapp said Belcher left the home, then drove to the Chiefs' practice facility by Arrowhead, the team's home field. Belcher pulled up to the entrance of the training facility and had a gun, which was reported to police by a security guard on duty. 
 Snapp said Pioli, Crennel and an unidentified person went out to talk to Belcher. 
 "Belcher thanked them for being a Chief, and that's when he walked away," Snapp said. When he was 30 or 40 feet away, Belcher fired one shot to his head as the three men looked on. 
 Kansas City Mayor Sly James went to Arrowhead and met with Pioli afterward, according to The <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Star">Kansas City Star</a>. 
 "Think about your worst nightmare and multiply it by five," James said. 
 Perkins was originally from <a href="/topics//Texas">Texas</a>. Devene Dunson-Rusher, who said she was a close friend of hers, told Newsday they had chatted about babies at the grocery store "the other day." She thought that the couple was happy. 
 "Kasandra and Jovan, when I was here, it seemed like they loved each other," said Dunson-Rusher, of Independence, Mo. 
 Brianne York, who lives 15 minutes from the couple, said she became close friends with Perkins in January while they were students at Metropolitan Community College in Lee's Summit, Mo. 
 York said Belcher and Perkins were "very happy to be new parents" and it showed when she visited the couple in the hospital after Perkins gave birth. The couple met three years ago, York said. A cousin of Perkins' who is married to another Chiefs player introduced them, she said. 
 In a statement, Chiefs chairman and chief executive <a href="/topics//Clark_Hunt">Clark Hunt</a> said: "The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today's events, and our collective <a href="/topics//Hearts_FC">hearts</a> are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy." 
 Belcher graduated in 2005 from West Babylon High School, where he played linebacker, tackle, nose guard and fullback. As a wrestler, he was a three-time All-America selection. 
 He went on to become a star linebacker at the <a href="/topics//University_of_Maine">University of Maine</a>, where he graduated with a degree in child development. 
 Maine football coach Jack Cosgrove said Belcher was a "tremendous student-athlete" in a statement released by the school. 
 Belcher joined the Chiefs in 2009 as an undrafted free agent. He became a starting inside linebacker this season. 
 "His move to the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a> was in keeping with his dreams," Cosgrove said. "This is an indescribably horrible tragedy. At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with Jovan, Kasandra and their families." 
 With Robert Brodsky, Candice Ferrette, Scott Eidler, Alex Silverman and McClatchy Newspapers 
 <a href="http://www.kcchiefs.com/media-center/videos/Under-the-Helmet-with-Jovan-Belcher/d7be7714-f44f-4945-bda3-91687f0d9cfe" target="_blank">Click here to watch a 2010 video of Jovan Belcher talking about career, life</a>

SPJOV02

Cops: Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs player from Long Island, kills girlfriend, self

belcher comp - crop

The Kansas City Chiefs will play their 1 p.m. game today against the Carolina Panthers. 
 The decision to play comes in light of Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, a 25-year-old from West Babylon, fatally shooting his girlfriend before driving to <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a> and shooting himself in front of coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and general manager <a href="/topics//Scott_Pioli">Scott Pioli</a>, according to police. 
 A statement on the Chiefs' website said the decision came "after discussions between the league office, head coach <a href="/topics//Romeo_Crennel">Romeo Crennel</a> and Chiefs team captains," quarterback <a href="/topics//Matt_Cassel">Matt Cassel</a>, linebacker <a href="/topics//Derrick_Johnson">Derrick Johnson</a>, punter <a href="/topics//Dustin_Colquitt">Dustin Colquitt</a>, guard <a href="/topics//Ryan_Lilja">Ryan Lilja</a>, receiver <a href="/topics//Terrance_Copper">Terrance Copper</a> and safety <a href="/topics//Eric_Berry">Eric Berry</a>. 
 Belcher, undrafted out of the <a href="/topics//University_of_Maine">University of Maine</a>, was a classic case of a young football player who dreamed of making it to the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>, but had to get there in an unconventional way by proving to the skeptics that he could make it despite being overlooked by scouts. 
 "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," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a> communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted," Hunt said. "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." 
 Chiefs Linebacker Tamba Hali wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday, "I am devastated by this mornings events. I want to send my thoughts and prayers out to everyone effected by this tragedy." 
 With Alex M. Silverman

SPCHIEFS02

Kansas City Chiefs will play Carolina Panthers as scheduled after Jovan Belcher's death

Jovan Belcher's friends gathered Saturday at a makeshift shrine outside his childhood home in <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a>, crying and comforting each other while struggling to make sense of his violent end. 
 Memorabilia from Belcher's <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football</a> career decorated the front of the Matthews Avenue home, with mourners bringing autographed <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> jerseys, posters and balloons. 
 Others added a helmet from Belcher's days at the <a href="/topics//Maine_Black_Bears_(football)">University of Maine</a> and a <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a> High School varsity jacket. 
 Belcher shot his girlfriend to death in their <a href="/topics//Kansas">Kansas</a> City home Saturday morning and then killed himself in front of his coach at <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>, authorities said. The 25-year-old <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football player</a> and Kasandra Perkins, 22, had a 3-month-old girl together. 
 Stunned family and friends said the violence was out of character for the jovial, carefree athlete. 
 "The guy always had a smile on his face. He would just wrap his arms around you," said Belcher's uncle, Willis Miles, 53, of West <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a>. Miles' sister, who is Belcher's mom, witnessed Perkins' slaying and called police. 
 Ollie Roy, 30, said Belcher, a childhood friend and neighbor, wasn't a violent person. 
 "I hadn't seen nothing like that in him," he said. 
 Ruben Marshall, a family friend who served as Belcher's Police Athletic League coach, said news of the murder-suicide ran counter to everything he knew about his star player. 
 "I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it," he said. "He was a good person." 
 Saturday night, as several dozen mourners gathered, childhood friends and relatives recalled Belcher's visit home last summer, during which they reveled in their hometown hero's success. 
 Miles said his nephew acted like "a proud new father," and Belcher and his girlfriend seemed happy. 
 "Whatever personal problems they had, I didn't know about it," Miles said. 
 With Candice Ferrette 
 &nbsp; 
<h2> Jovan Belcher's bio</h2> 
 &nbsp; 
 NAME: Jovan Belcher 
 BORN: July 24, 1987 
 HOMETOWN: <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a> 
 HIGH SCHOOL: Second-team All-<a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">football player</a> at West <a href="/topics//Babylon,_NY">Babylon</a>. Helped to lead his team to a 9-1 record his senior season (2004). Also was a standout <a href="/topics//Wrestling_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">wrestler</a>. 
 COLLEGE: At <a href="/topics//University_of_Maine">University of Maine</a>, played outside linebacker for two seasons, then switched to defensive end. Was <a href="/topics//Colonial_Athletic_Association">Colonial Athletic Association</a> defensive player of the year in 2008 and was first-team All-American pick on the <a href="/topics//Football_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics">Football</a> Championship Subdivision team. 
 <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>: <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a>, 2009-12. Signed as free agent in 2009. Started all 16 games last season and had a career-high of 120 tackles. This season, started 10 of 11 games at left inside linebacker and had 38 tackles. 
 <a href="http://www.kcchiefs.com/media-center/videos/Under-the-Helmet-with-Jovan-Belcher/d7be7714-f44f-4945-bda3-91687f0d9cfe" target="_blank">Click here to watch a 2010 video of Jovan Belcher talking about career, life</a>

LISCEN02

Jovan Belcher's friends, family recall jovial, carefree athlete

belcher memorial crop

Jovan Belcher's former high school coaches were stunned by the news that the <a href="/topics//Kansas_City_Chiefs">Kansas City Chiefs</a> linebacker from <a href="/topics//West_Babylon,_NY">West Babylon</a> had been involved in what police have termed a murder-suicide.
"You could not see this coming. Not even close," Ron Langella said.
The Jovan Belcher he described as an inspiration to his teammates, fellow students and kids in the community, shot his girlfriend to death Saturday at their home, then killed himself in front of three team officials at <a href="/topics//Arrowhead_Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>, police said.
Former coaches and friends are finding it hard to believe that a young man who went from high school sports star to college scholar-athlete, then proved to the 32 teams who chose not to draft him that he could be a starter in the <a href="/topics//National_Football_League">NFL</a>, could be involved in such a thing. 
"He was a good athlete, but an even better person. An unbelievable role model," said Langella, who coached the West Babylon varsity during Belcher's sophomore season of 2002. "He was everything you'd want a kid to be. He was never in trouble. People gravitated toward him."
But the Jovan Belcher everyone knew changed suddenly, with deadly consequences.
Belcher, a starter at inside linebacker, came to the Chiefs as an undrafted player out of the <a href="/topics//University_of_Maine">University of Maine</a>, where he was the <a href="/topics//Colonial_Athletic_Association">Colonial Athletic Association</a>'s 2008 player of the year after making second-team All-American in 2007 and won academic awards.
He earned a degree in child development, completing his education as the same serious student he was in high school.
"He always did his work, sat right up front," said Al Ritacco, a former coach and Belcher's 10th-grade biology teacher.
As a football player, he made Newsday's list of Players of the Decade for the 2000s. 
While discussing the tragedy Saturday, Joe Piccinnini recalled a big play that Belcher had made against his team. 
"Like it was yesterday," the Newfield coach said. "He made an interception that I remember so vividly. Our quarterback was trying to throw the ball out of bounds and here he comes, clear across the field. He's using his speed, closing on the ball and somehow he makes the interception, pulling the ball back across the end line. His athleticism was unbelievable. His motor was non-stop. He was a player. That's how he got to where he did."
Belcher, a second-team Newsday All-<a href="/topics//Long_Island,_NY">Long Island</a> selection in 2004, was not heavily recruited, recalled Langella, now the head coach at <a href="/topics//Deer_Park,_NY">Deer Park</a>. "But his willingness to get better was phenomenal. He was a good athlete and a better person."
But just as he was lightly recruited out of high school, he was largely ignored coming out of college. He was not drafted by any NFL team, but wound up making the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
"What are the chances that a high school kid will get to the pros," Frank Riviezzo, defensive coordinator at West Babylon when Belcher played, said with a touch of pride in his voice. "But he proved everybody wrong. He was a homegrown talent who made it to the show."
Langella was impressed with Belcher's work ethic.
"His drive to get better was phenomenal," Langella said. "He was hardly even recruited in high school but he never stopped working or trying to improve."
Belcher did not forget his roots, annually attending West Babylon home games, where he would give pregame or halftime pep talks that Riviezzo called "very moving." 
On a recent visit, "he told my players what was important in life," Ritacco said. "I can't put a handle on this. I'm completely in shock."
Belcher's No. 52 jersey hangs prominently on the wall outside the West Babylon locker room. "The kids see it every day," Riviezzo said. "He's a special kid who will be missed."

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