Chiefs player killed girlfriend and self following argument over Trey Songz concert

[proud2BlibKansan]

According to a friend of Kasandra Perkins, the woman killed today by Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, the couple argued in the early morning hours after the woman was out late attending Friday’s Trey Songz concert at The Midland.

The friend, who asked not to be identified, said Belcher confronted Perkins when she returned home about 1 a.m.

The couple had dated about three years and argued frequently, the friend said, but she wasn’t aware of any prior physical abuse.

As news spread that Belcher had killed Perkins and then himself, several friends of the victim gathered outside the couple’s home in the 5400 block of Crysler Avenue in Kansas City.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/01/3943363/source-belcher-murder-suicide.html#storylink=cpy

[MadHound]

1. I think there's a bit more to it than his girlfriend being out late.

Other problems, possibly including too many hits to the head over time, contributed to this. A tragedy all around.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Well, this is all we know so far.

Just a horrible tragedy.

[zappaman]

10. Really?

How many hits to the head did he take?

[MadHound]

22. Don't know, but all it takes is one

One major blow to change a person's personality, cause brain damage and such. Or more common, a series of blows upon blows does the same thing. Now think about how many such blows a linebacker gets over the span of high school, college and then a couple of years in the pro's. Not just on game day, but on the practice field as well.

We've seen how other football players have had problems with this, murders, suicides, and brain damage that leaves them not knowing who they, or those closest to them are. This is the nasty, hidden side of football, current and former players left with their brains scarred and traumatized, with little in the way of resources to fall back on.

[lalalu]

29. Yeah sure, blame football.

Thousands have played football and never shot, stabbed, or murdered anyone.

[MadHound]

35. You're confusing things a bit,

This isn't blaming football per se, but rather wondering how many of the head to head blows that every player in football experiences actually helped contribute to the condition of clearly a very disturbed young man.

Apparently I'm not the only one wondering what role brain trauma played in this, and judging from what others are saying, it does look like brain trauma did play a role.

"was dazed and was suffering from short-term memory loss. He could not remember the events that had taken place prior to that game or what he had said to get Kasi [Kasandra Perkins] to return home."

"If you review the footage of the Cincinnati game, he took a few hits to the head directly," the friend wrote."
http://deadspin.com/5964917/source-belchers-girlfriend-was-threatening-to-sue-for-child-support-belcher-had-been-concussed-drinking-and-taking-pain-medication?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Oh, and Belcher didn't play the following week due to head trauma concerns.

How many players have to suffer and die in order for you to wake up to the dangers of brain trauma suffered in the course of playing football?

[lalalu]

38. The dangers of head truama is a different issue.

People suffer brain trauma in various ways and they do not commit crimes or murder people.

This wasn't a brain trauma issue, this was a control issue. He could take the time to drive to his see his coach and talk to him but not to the mother of his child? He could talk to the guys but not to her? Typical coward who thinks women can be used and abused. When he realized there was no way out he took his life.

[cherokeeprogressive]

39. Scratch "thousands" and replace it with millions, maybe tens of millions.

A great majority of the kids who play PeeWee or Pop Warner football never play another down after their done with those respective leagues. A great majority of Junior High School kids never play another down of football after graduating to High School. A great majority of High Schoolers don't make the mark in college and never play another down.

Now take all the Division I, II, III, and IV schools in the country and add up all their players... The NFL at any given time during the regular season has NO MORE than 1696 active players and each team sits 8 players on Game Day. So how much room is there for rookies each year in the NFL? Not much. Almost all of those who get cut after graduating from college never play another down.

That's an awful lot of football players. An awful lot.

Now, consider how many suffer life changing brain injuries in automobile and motorcycle accidents every year. What say those who think football is a terrible, terrible sport, about that?

[lalalu]

40. Well said.

[Mike Daniels]

37. Sometimes, an act of violence is simply an asshole acting out.

I am sure an autopsy will show whether this could be related to brain injury or whether Javon was just another jerk who had an extreme overreaction to a situation.

[graham4anything]

2. To bad instead of a gun in his hand, he didn't have a helping hand

[hrmjustin]

4. So sad! I hope the family is left alone to grieve in peace.

[Old and In the Way]

5. Very sad, indeed.

He was a University of Maine grad....wasn't an easy place for him to play, I imagine. Still, he made it to the Bigs.

Here's how I think it went down. He probably felt he needed a gun for protection. Jealous rage+ alcohol/drugs + gun for protection = a murder. When he sobered up, he knew his life was over.

So friggen' sad.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Nice looking young man

[Old and In the Way]

7. He sure looks happy....

I'm sure he was...how did things go so wrong with him and his girlfriend? I really hope we get the whole truth/understanding and this could be a powerful story for our cultures and country.

[JimDandy]

33. The clue is his neck...

This homicide is probably going to be Roid Rage induced.

[REP]

11. Kind of a tradition for some Chiefs players to shoot up the town

For a while, it seemed there was a Chiefs-player shooting at the Harris House every damn weekend. Since I lived a few blocks away, it was really annoying.

[Are_grits_groceries]

13. And you think your post

is a decent statement to make about this tragedy. Sorry the tragedy annoys you. How inconsiderate.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Wow. Not even close to the same thing.

[mfcorey1]

8. So sad!!! nt

[exboyfil]

9. I don't know but it sure seemed like a typical

memorial piece on ESPN - no different than Steve McNair. They seemed to forget that he murdered somebody before he killed himself. In my mind it puts him much closer to Rae Carruth than Steve McNair. I also think it was incredibly selfish to shoot himself in front of his coach. I know the man was mentally disturbed, but I am not going to hold a candle for him. My sympathy lies with the family of the woman he murdered.

Lets not make him into a tragic hero - he is a murderer.

[Are_grits_groceries]

12. Something went way wrong in this man.

He didn't have an affair like McNair or PLAN to shoot his girlfriend like Carruth. I don't know why he shot his girlfriend in front of his mother, but something was seriously awry. Every account of him before this has been about a great kid who was living a dream.

I don't know if we will ever know what he was thinking, but his brain was short-circuited somewhere in some way. He needed help of some kind and probably didn't know how to ask for it.

I think it's a tragedy in every way. You can self righteously condemn him, but he is much different than the 2 you mentioned unless something comes to light.

I do feel very sorry for those left behind. They will need a lot of strength.

I hope you or somebody you love never experiences a severe mental problem. Depression or other conditions can stop a rational thought process. I have dealt with severe depression and it's horrible for all. I would rather have my legs amputated than go through another huge episode.

This is just sad. Beyond sad.... It's the kind of event that leaves one speechless about what to even begin to say.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. That's where I'm at.

I'm also wondering what we do to these young boys when we give them fame and wealth at such a young age.

Then, as my son said, another home where a gun led to tragedy.

Just sad all the way around.

[bluedigger]

14. It is a tragedy the more I learn of Belcher.

"The Long Island, New York, native was a talented and versatile high school player at West Babylon High School, where he also played offensive tackle, nose guard and fullback and led his team to their first undefeated season as a senior.

Belcher also was a successful youth wrestler. He won three All-American selections in a sport he said on the Chiefs’ website helped him develop the character needed to try to break into the top U.S. professional league.

...

In fact, when Belcher was recruited by the University of Maine, it was as a wrestler, not as a football player, UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove said Saturday. The school took a chance with Belcher in his freshman year by putting him on the football team.

...

The linebacker started all 45 games while completing a degree in child development in just 3½ years, and his performances impressed enough to earn him reviews as one of the most promising players from a 'small school.' "
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/01/sports/belcher-battled-his-way-into-football-at-umaine-and-the-nfl/?ref=relatedSidebar

"Belcher was involved on campus with the Male Athletes Against Violence initiative and mentored a young man in the Big Brothers program, according to Bangor Daily News archives.

Members of Male Athletes Against Violence sign a pledge to educate themselves on domestic violence issues, to act as positive role models and to examine their own actions honestly."

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/01/news/state/at-umaine-belcher-was-involved-in-domestic-violence-awareness-group-impact-was-boundless/?ref=relatedSidebar

Something went very wrong in this young man's life, and brought great grief to those closest to him.

[sakabatou]

15. Sad. It also reminds me of another couple

[FarCenter]

18. Wonder if the autopsy will include a test for steroids?

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Yes. And from what I've learned since Lance Armstrong was caught,

apparently not all steroids can be detected in pee tests.

[MineralMan]

20. This horrible story is yet another example of how DU reacts to

such stories. Long before pertinent details are available, we begin to theorize about what and why it happened. It's a natural thing to do, I suppose, but it seems so premature. Two people are dead, one at the hand of the other. It is a tragedy. But we have no idea why this happened. We will. We'll find out. Maybe we should wait until then to theorize and form opinions.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. It's only natural for people to speculate.

And not at all peculiar to DU. Local media in KC is abuzz with speculation. This is the second Chiefs player to do this.

[MineralMan]

23. Yes, just as I said.

And it's only natural for some people to hope others will wait for more information before assuming steroids or head injuries, or worse. I find this story to be extremely saddening. I'm sure it was an unnecessary tragedy. However, I have no earthly idea why it happened. Soon, more information that is fact-based will be available. Then, I'll form an opinion beyond being sad that two people are dead. Until then, I'll wait.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. Football Brain Trauma Can Twist Personality, Spur Violence

American football traditionally managed to distance itself from players exhibiting behavioral or mental disorder, and a classic NFL case is Jim Tyrer, early cornerstone lineman for the Chiefs, one of the greatest offensive tackles in history. Today Tyrer remains shut out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, more than 30 years since his tragic end, when the league and media suddenly wanted to forget him.

In autumn 1980 Tyrer was six years retired from the NFL, spiraling downward in business and health at age 41, when at dawn on a Monday morning he rousted his wife with a gunshot into her pillow. He killed Martha Tyrer on second aim then shot himself with the .38 pistol, completing the murder-suicide with three of their four children in the home near Kansas City.

The carnage was senseless, outrageous for family and friends. None could firmly grasp a motive for Tyrer, once a perennial All-Pro and most respected player in the league. “Something had to snap,” said Len Dawson, former Chiefs quarterback. “He was such a strong, stable guy. He was a great family man. Doing something like this is completely contrary to his character.”

Book author Michael Oriard, former teammate of Tyrer on the Chiefs, recounted the shock and mystery in a chapter of his The End of Autumn, an unheralded but riveting 1982 account of life in pro football.

The dignified Tyrer had worn suit and tie to work every day, an unfailing gentlemen toward everyone including unknown rookies and free agents, the clubhouse lower class from which Oriard emerged. Jim and Martha Tyrer, sweethearts since high school in Ohio, led player families as religious souls dedicated to their children and always willing to help others.

“Jim Tyrer was the unlikeliest suicide-murderer to those who knew him,” Oriard wrote. “Among all the Chiefs I played with, he seemed the most responsible, the most controlled, the most conscientious and stable. He struck his other associates in football the same way.”

Oriard continued: “In the days before the murder-suicide, Tyrer clearly seemed depressed to those who saw him. [Former teammate] Fred Arbanas had lined up an opportunity to sell national accounts for the Yellow Pages, but Tyrer never showed up to take the test. He was a college graduate, but had been out of school for twenty years. He told Arbanas that he always did poorly on those tests; he was competing with kids right out of school, barely older than his daughter. His minister and friend at the Presbyterian church he attended detected paranoia and arranged psychiatric counseling. [Former teammate] George Daney saw him on the Wednesday before the fateful Sunday. Jim was obviously down. He kept asking George how he looked; he was concerned about the forty pounds he had lost. They talked about football. Jim had continued his contact with the Chiefs’ organization, buying season tickets, attending Chiefs’ functions. That Sunday he took his eleven-year-old son, Jason, to the game in Arrowhead Stadium, won 17-16 by the Seattle Seahawks. Someone reported that Jim stayed afterward, wandering around the empty stadium before he went home. For the last time.”

‘No one knows what passed through Jim Tyrer’s mind between the end of the Chiefs’ game and five the next morning…”

The physical massiveness and brutality of Tyrer as feared lineman did not explain his final act for Oriard. “Jim Tyrer was not a violent man. And football violence is very different from murder and suicide,” Oriard wrote. “Jim Tyrer was human, not a character in a soap opera. How can we fully understand what drove him to do what he did?”

Today, some believe brain damage affected Tyrer, particularly for his 14 years as pro player that included 180 consecutive starts at offensive line for the Chiefs.


http://blog.4wallspublishing.com/2011/06/16/football-brain-trauma-can-change-personality-spur-violence.aspx

[MineralMan]

25. No doubt that is true. That does not mean that is

the cause here. Steroids can also cause mental changes. That also does not mean that is involved in this incident. WE DO NOT KNOW.

I'm not going to argue with you any further. We don't know. We will. When we do, I will participate in the discussion.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Yet you ARE participating.

Seems to me that if you didn't want to participate, then you wouldn't participate.

[bahrbearian]

32. Good One. LOL

[JNelson6563]

27. This is tragic.

It sure seems as though something snapped in this talented young athlete. Tragically it resulted in a terrible ending for two lives and great grief to their loved ones.

Very sad story.

Julie

[lalalu]

28. Two people not ready for parenting.

Now a 3 month old baby without both.

She has a 3 month old baby and is out at a concert until early morning? He shows his disapproval by shooting her?

On second thought this baby may have a better chance without them. Yes, I know this isn't PC so let the rocks fly

[godai]

30. Check his meds.

I believe that a lot of these shocking suicidal rampages relate to Rx meds known to have suicidal side effects. This could be SSRI anti-depressants, Chantix, Ambien or a host of other drugs. Testosterone (widely abused) also can contribute.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Steroids?

[godai]

34. Could be contributory but...

a lot of athletes use steroids without murder/suicide. Many similar suicides don't involve athletes, hence the Rx drugs thinking.

[Spider Jerusalem]

36. I'd be looking for traumatic and cumulative brain damage in the autopsy

Traumatic brain injury and the cumulative effects of repeated concussions or sub-concussive hits are a much more likely contributing factor to this kind of violence (frontal lobe damage leads to fits of rage, loss of impulse control, etc). TBI and post-concussion syndrome have been linked to the violent behaviour and suicides of American football players before now, and then there's the case of soldiers who've suffered concussions as a result of IED injury in Iraq or Afghanistan (see: Robert Bales, who went on a rampage and murdered 16 Afghan civilians; he'd apparently suffered a concussive injury).