Chiefs LB Jovan Belcher Commits Suicide at Arrowhead

[Tridentdawgpound 1,043]

A scary and confusing situation has arisen this morning at Arrowhead Stadium.

 

According to Jay Glazer of FOX, who is in Kansas City, a Chiefs player and another person have been found shot in the team’s facility. Glazer doesn’t specify the condition of the victims.

 

Glazer isn’t revealing the name of the player involved until the family is notified.

 

We’ll be providing more details as they become available. The situation is contained and there is no ongoing threat.

 

UPDATE 10:36 a.m. ET: Per KCTV, one shooting occurred at the facility and a related shooting occurred elsewhere. A player reportedly shot and killed his girlfriend then drove to practice facility and shot himself there.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/01/shooting-at-the-chiefs-facility/

Edited December 1, 2012 by Favre4Ever

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2012/12/shooting-at-the-chiefs-facility/

 

Terrible.

 

Him and his girlfriend just had a newborn baby as well.

Edited December 1, 2012 by ATL

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

Can't say much right now until more information comes to light, but wow. Prayers out to anyone involved.

[NaTaS+ 958]

Buddy of mine is telling me it was Jovan Belcher.

[Playmaker 2]

Confirmed by the KCPD its Belcher.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

Wow, this is awful.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.

[Bay 2,003]

The kind of news you never want to hear.

 

Thoughts are with those affected by this terrible incident.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Wow. Dunno what else to say.

[Thanatos 2,847]

It gets worse.

 

He fatally wounded his girlfriend, and then returned to the Chiefs facility where Crennel and Pioli tried to talk him down.

 

Then the cops showed up, he stepped away from the coaches and then shot himself.

 

There is no way that the Chiefs should have to play this game.

[WindyCitySports 407]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher this morning shot and killed his girlfriend before going to Arrowhead Stadium and fatally shooting himself as team personnel tried to stop him, police said.

 

Police Capt. David Lindaman said Belcher, 25, and his girlfriend, 22, got into an argument around 7 a.m. at their home in the 5400 block of Crysler Avenue in Kansas City. Around 7:50 a.m., Lindaman said, Belcher shot his girlfriend multiple times. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

 

The Star is not naming the victim at this time pending assurances that her family has been notified.

 

Lindaman said Belcher’s mother, who was visiting the couple and their 3-month-old daughter, witnessed the shooting and was being interviewed by police.

 

Belcher left the scene on Crysler and went to the Chiefs practice facility at Arrowhead, police said.

 

Police were called to the stadium around 8:10 a.m. When Belcher arrived there he encountered General Manager Scott Pioli, Coach Romeo Crennel and other team personnel. Police said Chiefs staff attempted to keep Belcher from committing additional acts of violence. When police arrived, they heard a gunshot and found that Belcher had shot himself in the head.

 

Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt released the following statement:

 

"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.”

 

According to Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com, the NFL plans to proceed with Sunday's game between the Chiefs and Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium, although league and team officials continue to discuss the matter.

 

Outside the home on Crysler, Jennifer Ashley, who said she was a friend of Belcher’s girlfriend, said the woman was a student at Blue River Community College in Independence and had started dating Belcher after being introduced to him by the girlfriend of another Chiefs player.

 

Belcher, originally from Long Island, N.Y., had been with the Chiefs for four years. He joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Maine.

 

Source: Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-jovan-belcher-kansas-city-chiefs-20121201,0,6558160.story

 

Wow. This is so sad. Thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims and to the Chiefs.

[vikesfan1 11]

terrible news, thoughts and prayers

[әightninә. 39]

Absolutely terrible to hear. Thoughts and prayers are with the Chiefs organization, and the families involved.

 

At the same time, it puts into perspective the strain put on the athletes: mentally and physically. You never know what's going on in their lives until it's too late, and it really is a shame that people don't pay attention to mental health, especially amongst athletes, until it's too late.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Supposedly the fight was over her staying late at a Trey Songz concert. Wow.

[Vin+ 3,121]

The NFL has announced that the Panthers versus Chiefs game set for 1:00PM ET on Sunday will kick off as scheduled despite the tragic events of Saturday morning that resulted in ILB Jovan Belcher taking his girlfriend's life before ending his own.

 

"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," read the statement. The Chiefs will have minimal time to mourn their loss, and Crennel, after witnessing Belcher take his own life on Saturday morning, is now forced to put together a game plan.

 

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Wow...could you imagine being Romeo Crennel or Scott Pioli right now? After trying to talk the man down, he kills himself right in front of you. Jesus... there are no words, really. Just a terrible tragedy.

[RANGA+ 1,210]

Wow wtf man...what a waste of life.

[Glanvilles Grits 142]

Did he shoot himself in front of the team officials? Or once he was finally alone? I am reading and hearing mixed news on this. Just terrible when these things happen, and everyone involved certainly has my prayers. The strain that's put on the players in the league these days is huge, however I'm not sure that anyone can say this was related to his NFL career. Interested in hearing the whole story.

 

 

Also, I really think that the NFL is making a huge mistake by allowing the game tomorrow to continue. I really think they should have made the motion to postpone the game for a later date. I understand they have schedules to uphold, but this is something that's going to hit the staff and teammates extremely hard. Especially if he DID indeed do this in front of them as I keep reading.

[BwareDWare94 723]

What in the hell kind of mental illness causes something like this to come out of nowhere, and don't situations like this make us question the availability of firearms? Good God. This poor child, and these two poor parents. How in the hell does a fight escalate to this level without extreme instability? I don't get it. This makes no sense. Someone had to know that this was possible.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Did he shoot himself in front of the team officials? Or once he was finally alone? I am reading and hearing mixed news on this.

 

Crennel and Pioli were there. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--police--chiefs-cm-scott-pioli-is--very-emotional---after-witnessing-player-kill-himself-192214813.html

[BwareDWare94 723]

Statement from Belcher's Agent Joe Linta:

 

Joe Linta finds the truth hard to believe.

 

Linta was Jovan Belcher's agent. His relationship with Belcher was a professional one, but he never suspected his client was capable of the violent acts he perpetrated on Saturday morning in Kansas City.

 

 

 

Jovan Belcher through the years

Take a look at photos of Jovan Belcher through the years.

"Jovan was a happy, proud father, with pictures of his baby on his Facebook page," Linta told SI.com's Peter King in a phone call on Saturday afternoon. "This is shocking. Something went crazy wrong, and we'll probably never know what it is."

 

Kansas City police said Belcher shot his girlfriend to death Saturday morning, then turned the gun on himself after a conversation with head coach Romeo Crennel, general manager Scott Pioli and another coach at the Chiefs' facility.

 

Belcher was an undrafted free-agent out of the University of Maine, the kind of longshot Linta has been known to represent. Linta was known to factor in character heavily in these underdog cases. One general manager told King extensive background work was unnecessary "because they're all borderline Eagle Scouts."

 

"Never until four hours ago did I think Jovan was anything but a model citizen," Linta told King, audibly shaken by the news. "He came to my youth clinics in the offseason and worked with kids. He was a gracious, unselfish, hard-working, dedicated kid -- very, very caring of some of the underprivileged kids who came to the clinics. I saw him in a real positive way.

 

"I never take on anyone as a client I wouldn't be proud to take home and spend time with my wife and kids. Jovan was one of those type of people.

 

"There's no word for this other than shocking. That's all I can think of."

 

Linta also serves as the agent for Romeo Crennel. He was asked how the coach will handle the fallout of this tragedy.

 

"With dignity, like everything Romeo does in his life," Linta said. "Life doesn't hand you roses all the time. But Romeo is a salt-of-the-earth kind of person who will rely on his faith and his determination to do what he has to do, to do what's right. He will know what to say to his team, because he always knows what to say."

 

The Chiefs announced Saturday they will play the Carolina Panthers as scheduled on Sunday.

 

Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Holy shit.

[Thanatos 2,847]

What in the hell kind of mental illness causes something like this to come out of nowhere, and don't situations like this make us question the availability of firearms?

 

No. He could have done the same thing with any other weapon. It's a tool, and the person to blame is the one wielding it. See the thread on capital punishment for the reason why you have to let citizens own guns.

 

Hearing that the Chiefs are the ones who decided to go forward with the game makes me feel better about having it, so long as they weren't pressured by the league or anything like that.

[JetsFan4Life 542]

Jeremy Kelley Talks About Jovan (College Teammate)

[AL_Royalty 489]

I know I always give Crennel and Pioli a lot of shit, but no one should ever have to be involved in a situation like this. To see a guy that has been a part of their lives for the better part of 4 years take his own life right in front of them like that... Damn... Just damn. This is going to affect everyone, from the people who were there to the players on the practice squad.

 

Obviously, none of us know exactly what happened, but we do know that the result is horrific. I just hope that playing the game today can maybe aid in the healing process by giving the players an outlet. There will be an added sadness if the wait of it all is just too much and crushes the spirit of the remaining players. I'd hate to see them go in and get obliterated by 50 or something like that. I can't imagine What these guys must be going through. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this horrible tragedy, especially the families left behind. R.I.P. the unnamed girlfriend...

 

R.I.P. Javon Belcher

 

 

Somberly spoken, go Chiefs...

Edited December 2, 2012 by B-isforBowe