Chiefs player commits suicide at team facility

[CEE DOG]

It is even rougher in the hood. Folks gotta understand, to black folks it is all about image. We are so concerned about our image, yet we put image over reality. That is why mental illness plagues our community so much. We worry more about what folks will think of us instead of seeking help. Many of our our families have scorned us so much that we live in a state of denial then facing reality because of being looked at as being weak or letting other folks know our business. As black folks we are taught our pride is everything. Pride is what hurts our race.

:smh:

Things like this happen more than we would like to discuss... Especially in OUR community... Mental Illness is a real disease.... Not taking up for the dude for what he has done; however, being in a business where you are NOT able to where your feelings on your sleeve is NOT condusive to seeking treatment and/or healing. Football players are suppose to be Warriors, without default.

I pray for the families of both involved. I am sure there were signs, but Black folks don't like to talk about that.....
:smh: at the ignorance of Mental Illness....

 

[wahines]

It is even rougher in the hood. Folks gotta understand, to black folks it is all about image. We are so concerned about our image, yet we put image over reality. That is why mental illness plagues our community so much. We worry more about what folks will think of us instead of seeking help. Many of our our families have scorned us so much that we live in a state of denial then facing reality because of being looked at as being weak or letting other folks know our business. As black folks we are taught our pride is everything. Pride is what hurts our race.

We have been taught so much about pride, that we don't know when to put it down.

 

[Kendrick]

Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, had separated two weeks ago in the midst of a dispute over the care of their three-month-old daughter, Zoe, a friend of Belcher's has told Deadspin. They'd only very recently reconciled. In email messages sent to us, the friend described Belcher as a young man whipsawed between football-related head trauma and ongoing substance abuse, and the source speculated that a "combination of alcohol, concussions, and prescription drugs," mixed with domestic problems, led to Belcher's murder of Perkins and his subsequent suicide.
The friend wrote that after the Chiefs' Nov. 18 game against the Bengals, the last game Belcher played in, Belcher "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.

Belcher's friend emailed initially to point out that the developing narrative of the murder-suicide was overly focused on a single event: the Trey Songz concert Perkins had attended at Kansas City's Midland Theater Friday night, and the dispute that followed when she arrived home around 1 a.m. The Kansas City Star's most detailed report on the shootings begins with that argument.

The friend wanted to stress that the concert was, at most, a tipping point, and that the relationship had soured previously. In further emails, he was frank that his aim was to give us Belcher's side of the story, and in defending his late friend he came off as cruel toward the murder victim, going so far as to call her "the catalyst."

Even so, he wrote that Belcher "drank ALOT. On a nightly basis" and was using medication heavily. He described both Belcher and Perkins as "very young and immature," which "combined with other factors led to this tragedy."

-- via Deadspin.com

 

[Dr H..]

Kendrick

Thanks for the information. While this was a tragic event, we sometimes pass judgement, without knowing the entire story. I don't know how many has had a family member or friend that committed suicide, I have and it dang near destroyed my cousins family. Many passed judgement on him for hanging himself in his mother's house. Several day's later when they found a letter explaining why he committed suicide, they were stunned.

While they maybe simple reason and we can say "there were options" in th emind of the individual, there are no options, because they are tired of suffering. We cannot see thru the eyes of the individual.

This is why my cousin committed suicide.

He had lost his job and had a family. After loosing his job, his wife divorced him and took the children. She went to court for child support, he gave her all of his unemployment, they lost their home, so he move in with his mother. Looked for job, he was unemployed for over a year, so he worked odd jobs, picked up cans to sell [remember the time]. Whatever, he made it went to her and the kids. He borrowed money from family.

Ok, she was not happy and took him back to court, he found a job washing dishes, a few months the placed closed "unemployed" She takes him back to court. The judge said, sir, I understand your situation, but you owe "thousands" of dollars in back child support. If you dont pay this by [forgot the time frame]. I am sending you to jail.

While out searching for a job, he finds $ 100.00 and give it to his former wife. She goes back to court and the judge, have another coversation with him. He proves to the judge that he is actively looking for work.

skipping, a lot of detail. His brother comes home and find him hanging in their living room. The note said in summary. "I am tired, lost my family and going to jail, because I cant support my children, God knows I tried"

Yes, this event was sad, but from reading the information, thie young man had serious problems, that he felt that death was the only way out. I am sure all of us has done ssomething that was "not correct" however, we committe the act any way"

The good book says, Judge not and be not judged"

 

[FAM4lyfe]

Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, had separated two weeks ago in the midst of a dispute over the care of their three-month-old daughter, Zoe, a friend of Belcher's has told Deadspin. They'd only very recently reconciled. In email messages sent to us, the friend described Belcher as a young man whipsawed between football-related head trauma and ongoing substance abuse, and the source speculated that a "combination of alcohol, concussions, and prescription drugs," mixed with domestic problems, led to Belcher's murder of Perkins and his subsequent suicide.
The friend wrote that after the Chiefs' Nov. 18 game against the Bengals, the last game Belcher played in, Belcher "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.

Belcher's friend emailed initially to point out that the developing narrative of the murder-suicide was overly focused on a single event: the Trey Songz concert Perkins had attended at Kansas City's Midland Theater Friday night, and the dispute that followed when she arrived home around 1 a.m. The Kansas City Star's most detailed report on the shootings begins with that argument.

The friend wanted to stress that the concert was, at most, a tipping point, and that the relationship had soured previously. In further emails, he was frank that his aim was to give us Belcher's side of the story, and in defending his late friend he came off as cruel toward the murder victim, going so far as to call her "the catalyst."

Even so, he wrote that Belcher "drank ALOT. On a nightly basis" and was using medication heavily. He described both Belcher and Perkins as "very young and immature," which "combined with other factors led to this tragedy."

-- via Deadspin.com

Wow...that negates everything I read yesterday...it's just sad

 

[The Founder]

I remember the hits he took to the head which is why I asked about concussions at the beginning of the thread. Then topped off with medication, drugs, and alcohol...not a good combination. This will be another issue looked at by the NFL. I would not be surprised that if after a player gets concussion that they will be required to sit out for a number of games and the test become much more intensive.

Prayers up for the family.

 

[In_The_662]

I remember the hits he took to the head which is why I asked about concussions at the beginning of the thread. Then topped off with medication, drugs, and alcohol...not a good combination. This will be another issue looked at by the NFL. I would not be surprised that if after a player gets concussion that they will be required to sit out for a number of games and the test become much more intensive.

Prayers up for the family.

However when you look at the Vick and Smith situations players don't want to lose their job to a concussion. Very slippery slope....

I agree tho. If a player gets a concussion they should be required to sit out a week (unless it's a team with a 1st round bye or the Super Bowl which is a two week time frame)

 

[The Founder]

However when you look at the Vick and Smith situations players don't want to lose their job to a concussion. Very slippery slope....

I agree tho. If a player gets a concussion they should be required to sit out a week (unless it's a team with a 1st round bye or the Super Bowl which is a two week time frame)

I feel you.

 

[Kendrick]

However when you look at the Vick and Smith situations players don't want to lose their job to a concussion. Very slippery slope....

I agree tho. If a player gets a concussion they should be required to sit out a week (unless it's a team with a 1st round bye or the Super Bowl which is a two week time frame)

Players are not allowed to return to action after suffering a concussion until they pass a series of neurological examinations, and are cleared by team and independent doctors. This is current NFL protocol.

 

[Kendrick]

Kendrick

Thanks for the information. While this was a tragic event, we sometimes pass judgement, without knowing the entire story. I don't know how many has had a family member or friend that committed suicide, I have and it dang near destroyed my cousins family. Many passed judgement on him for hanging himself in his mother's house. Several day's later when they found a letter explaining why he committed suicide, they were stunned.

While they maybe simple reason and we can say "there were options" in th emind of the individual, there are no options, because they are tired of suffering. We cannot see thru the eyes of the individual.

This is why my cousin committed suicide.

He had lost his job and had a family. After loosing his job, his wife divorced him and took the children. She went to court for child support, he gave her all of his unemployment, they lost their home, so he move in with his mother. Looked for job, he was unemployed for over a year, so he worked odd jobs, picked up cans to sell [remember the time]. Whatever, he made it went to her and the kids. He borrowed money from family.

Ok, she was not happy and took him back to court, he found a job washing dishes, a few months the placed closed "unemployed" She takes him back to court. The judge said, sir, I understand your situation, but you owe "thousands" of dollars in back child support. If you dont pay this by [forgot the time frame]. I am sending you to jail.

While out searching for a job, he finds $ 100.00 and give it to his former wife. She goes back to court and the judge, have another coversation with him. He proves to the judge that he is actively looking for work.

skipping, a lot of detail. His brother comes home and find him hanging in their living room. The note said in summary. "I am tired, lost my family and going to jail, because I cant support my children, God knows I tried"

Yes, this event was sad, but from reading the information, thie young man had serious problems, that he felt that death was the only way out. I am sure all of us has done ssomething that was "not correct" however, we committe the act any way"

The good book says, Judge not and be not judged"

I understand that. But you can judge. As long as it is righteous judgement, though.

With that said, I think dude killed himself after murdering his girlfriend. The prospect of spending life in prison was not something he was willing to face.

 

[DallasCowboyGirl]

What don't we just do a way with Football all together since these folks these days can't handle the hits...It makes them crazy...so crazy that they don't know that they can't get a concussion take medication and then drink liquor...freaking excuse to justify his stupidity!

 

[Kendrick]

What don't we just do a way with Football all together since these folks these days can't handle the hits...It makes them crazy...so crazy that they don't know that they can't get a concussion take medication and then drink liquor...freaking excuse to justify his stupidity!

I believe one day football will be a sport that the middle-class and upper class will stray from due to the long-term health risks associated with the sport. In the early days of football, one of the way officials attempted to make the game safer was to institute passing.

Yes, passing was thought to make the game safer. Obviously, that hasn't happened.

Football will be dangerous as long as the athletes are allowed to collide into each other.

 

[Dr H..]

I understand that. But you can judge. As long as it is righteous judgement, though.

True, I am just saying we as society are so quick to judge the actions of others. Most of the time we judge when we are not qualified to do so. We operate off of our emotions and appearance. This means that we judge on the foundatiom of insufficient, superficial information. Outward appearance is often deceptive, which is a matters of opinion.

A few years ago, most may recall, when the soldiers start returning from the Middle East there were hundreds of murder-suicide across the country. The military / DOD, could not figure out the cause. Here we are 4 - 5 years later, they are beginning to understand the reason why, stress, suffering from concussion and a number of "un-diagnosed" injuries to the brain. I have a relative that has spent most of his career in the "War Zones" when he left home, he was ok. Now, a total different person, he is short-tempered and sleep very little. In other words he is dangerous.

Look at Ali and other boxers after year of being in the ring are suffering from injuries to the brain. We can look back at Junior Seau and others who committed murder /suicide.

Football, is a violent and perhaps the most dangerous team sport. We can look at hockey and rugby, and wonder why once players leave the sports they are not involved in murder / suicide.

I say again, we still dont know all the facts. I guess an autopsy will be performed to determine if he had any brain injuries. If he does, what will the NFL do, nothing. Will individuals have the same opinion of him, he may have had a tumor or something on the brain, which sometimes hender making sound decisions, what is he was bipolar.


Was there a final determination on what caused Seau to committ suicide.

Football will be dangerous as long as the athletes are allowed to collide into each other

.

We the fans are the cause of this, because we want our team to "take out" the other player. And we will not settle for anything less.

 

[Kendrick]

A few years ago, most may recall, when the soldiers start returning from the Middle East there were hundreds of murder-suicide across the country. The military / DOD, could not figure out the cause. Here we are 4 - 5 years later, they are beginning to understand the reason why, stress, suffering from concussion and a number of "un-diagnosed" injuries to the brain. I have a relative that has spent most of his career in the "War Zones" when he left home, he was ok. Now, a total different person, he is short-tempered and sleep very little. In other words he is dangerous.

Look at Ali and other boxers after year of being in the ring are suffering from injuries to the brain. We can look back at Junior Seau and others who committed murder /suicide.

Football, is a violent and perhaps the most dangerous team sport. We can look at hockey and rugby, and wonder why once players leave the sports they are not involved in murder / suicide.

I say again, we still dont know all the facts. I guess an autopsy will be performed to determine if he had any brain injuries. If he does, what will the NFL do, nothing. Will individuals have the same opinion of him, he may have had a tumor or something on the brain, which sometimes hender making sound decisions, what is he was bipolar.


Was there a final determination on what caused Seau to committ suicide.

.

We the fans are the cause of this, because we want our team to "take out" the other player. And we will not settle for anything less.

Dr. it is funny you mention military personnel in your post as there have been many stories written recently about the rise in suicides among troops returning home from combat. I don't know if it is a result of head injuries or concussions. But it is concerning.

I remember writing a story years ago about military personnel, those in combat, struggling with PTSD. I know a guy who is active military, and he battled depression for a spell after returning home from one of his tours of duty. It's tough on these men and women and their families.

You are right in the fact that it will take some extensive investigating to determine why this football player decided to do what he did. Just reading the few news stories about this case, it appears he and his girlfriend had an up and down relationship, depending on who you believe. But I think we'll probably never know the real story, as the victim and the shooter are dead.


As far as blaming us for the violence in football, bro are a society that loves violence. Its doesn't matter if it is pro football, MMA or the latest action thriller. It's the way we're wired.

 

[Dr. Phreeze]

:smh:

Things like this happen more than we would like to discuss... Especially in OUR community... Mental Illness is a real disease.... Not taking up for the dude for what he has done; however, being in a business where you are NOT able to where your feelings on your sleeve is NOT condusive to seeking treatment and/or healing. Football players are suppose to be Warriors, without default.

I pray for the families of both involved. I am sure there were signs, but Black folks don't like to talk about that.....
:smh: at the ignorance of Mental Illness....

Yup

 

[Dr H..]

Dr. it is funny you mention military personnel in your post as there have been many stories written recently about the rise in suicides among troops returning home from combat. I don't know if it is a result of head injuries or concussions. But it is concerning.
I remember writing a story years ago about military personnel, those in combat, struggling with PTSD. I know a guy who is active military, and he battled depression for a spell after returning home from one of his tours of duty. It's tough on these men and women and their families.

You are right in the fact that it will take some extensive investigating to determine why this football player decided to do what he did. Just reading the few news stories about this case, it appears he and his girlfriend had an up and down relationship, depending on who you believe. But I think we'll probably never know the real story, as the victim and the shooter are dead.
As far as blaming us for the violence in football, bro are a society that loves violence. Its doesn't matter if it is pro football, MMA or the latest action thriller. It's the way we're wired.

As sad as it seems, death and violence sell newspapers. I live forty miles from Fort Campbell and a two hour drive from Fort Knox. One case out of Campbell, a soldier killed his wife, when asked why; his answer was “I don’t know” Not only did this happen at Campbell and Knox, it happened at Ft. Lewis-McChord; Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and other military bases. A few years ago there were several policemen killing their wives.

There are so many types of brain injuries that are apparent and not to mention that are microscopic. And when they are compounded with different types of medication, alcohol and the pressure to win games, then you have a “girlfriend” or wife. I was reading an article forgot the player name, but his immediate family was hounding him about money. And the sad part is his relatives were begging for money.

What scares me, is how much publicity this has received, and rightly so. However, this happens day after day in society. But, it appears as if its’ not important. My best guess is due to the fact an athlete was involved it demand more publicity.
In roughly two weeks this will be old news, the good citizens of the United States, will be at the games, cheering for their team. They will be talking about the National Championship and such like. Case in point, when the Alabama’s LaMichael Fanning body slams Russell Hansbrough, Fanning received cheers and high-fives, yet he could have killed or paralyzed Hansbrough. The story was in the news a few days and faded away.

Anyone remember Jack Tatum and Daryl Stingily.

Ok, the owners say this is so sad “one of our own” this week there will be two funerals and burials. The next day it will be business as usual.

Soldiers kill wives after serving in Afghanistan
By Charles Laurence in New York
12:01AM BST 28 Jul 2002

A spate of wife-killing involving Afghanistan campaign veterans returning to their Special Forces base at Fort Bragg in North Carolina
yesterday prompted a US Army review of its family counselling services.
In a series of murders that began on June 11, three of the four soldiers who allegedly killed their wives at the base had returned from combat units in Afghanistan.

There has also been a steep rise in domestic violence at Fort Bragg, according to a support group for wives at the base, who have reported a large number of calls for help.

In two of the fatal incidents, the men committed suicide after killing their wives, while two soldiers, both non-commissioned officers, have been charged with murder by the civilian authorities.

All four cases involved troubled marriages and sexual jealousy, according to an officer at the base yesterday.
The string of killings began on June 11, when Sgt Rigoberto Nieves shot his wife Teresa and then himself at his off-base home in Fayetteville, the nearest city to Fort Bragg. Nieves had been back from Afghanistan for just two days after requesting special leave for personal problems.

On June 29, according to the local sheriff's office, Master Sgt William Wright strangled his wife Jennifer. Two days later, he reported her missing. On July 19 he led detectives to her body, which he had buried in a shallow grave, and was charged with murder.
Wright had been back from the combat zone for a month. Since returning, however, he had moved out of his family home into bachelor quarters on the base.

is mother-in-law, Wilma Watson, at her home in Ohio, said her daughter had been raising the alarm about his behaviour. "Until he came home from Afghanistan, I didn't worry about violence. He was getting these attacks of rage. She was afraid of him," she said.
On July 19, the day that Wright was arrested, Brandon Floyd, a Delta Force sergeant, shot his wife Andrea and then himself in their home in nearby Stedman.

Mrs Floyd's mother, Penny Flitcraft, said that there had been rising tension in the marriage since Sgt Floyd's return from Afghanistan in January, and that jealousy had turned him into a "control freak". "I truly in my heart believe that his training was such that [he believed] if you can't control it, kill it," she said.

The fourth killing came on July 9. Sgt Cedric Griffin has been charged with murder, and is accused of stabbing his estranged wife Marilyn at least 50 times before setting the house on fire.

No clear links have emerged between the spate of murders and the men's recent combat experiences. The chaplain for the Special Operations Unit, Col Jerome Haberak, is, however, adamant that "our Special Forces are not under any more stress than other personnel

 

[JSUDMJ2004]

So am i hearing this correct he killed her because she went and stayed out late after a Trey Songz concert? He was a nutt case....

 

[Dr H..]

Belcher's friend emailed initially to point out that the developing narrative of the murder-suicide was overly focused on a single event: the Trey Songz concert Perkins had attended at Kansas City's Midland Theater Friday night, and the dispute that followed when she arrived home around 1 a.m. The Kansas City Star's most detailed report on the shootings begins with that argument.

The friend wanted to stress that the concert was, at most, a tipping point, and that the relationship had soured previously. In further emails, he was frank that his aim was to give us Belcher's side of the story, and in defending his late friend he came off as cruel toward the murder victim, going so far as to call her "the catalyst."

Let me see, his mother moves in, girlfriend is at a concert and arrive home around 1:00 am. Ok, mama is taking care of the baby, while she is at the concert. She should have been at home learning some parenting skills.

An argument starts and all hell breaks loose. He wants to know where she has been, she lips off with a smart answer, he already upset, may be drinking and wanting his honey to be home when arrive. Mama’s upset, because she has to babysit. Now everyone is screaming and yell, baby start crying. She’s young and maybe wants to hang out a little with the girls. He’s upset because the Chiefs are losing; he “maybe” is taking medication because of a previous concussion, pressure from the team and home and everyone is offering their advice.

Now everyone is crying and emotions overtakes common sense.

All of this is perfect formula for disaster.

 

[tsuball10]

someone needs to take a look at these helmets that the players are wearing...

 

[Kendrick]

someone needs to take a look at these helmets that the players are wearing...

Unless someone invents a helmet that stops the brain from slamming into the skull upon impact, then there is nothing that can be done.

 

[tsuball10]

now i know theres no way to 100% prevent concussions but you have seen the recent concussion cases sky rocket and it doesnt even have to be helmet to helmet hell a player just hitting his head on the ground will knock him out

Unless someone invents a helmet that stops the brain from slamming into the skull upon impact, then there is nothing that can be done.

 

[Kendrick]

now i know theres no way to 100% prevent concussions but you have seen the recent concussion cases sky rocket and it doesnt even have to be helmet to helmet hell a player just hitting his head on the ground will knock him out

The reason the cases of concussions have skyrocketed is because more of them are being reported due to an emphasis on them being reported.

 

[Dr H..]

This is what I am talking about, now all the experts has a opinion, Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock.

Jason and Bob, newsflash, guns do not kill, its the people. All th egun control in the world cannot stop anyone from having access to guns. If a gun is not used, there are other ways off killing someone.

I watched two Rugby games last night and those players be hitting. But, talking with a co-worker from Ghana, he keyed me in on something "It's controled" When a player goes down, they are automatically removerd from the game, taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

How can an individual have a motorcycle accident, fall on his head and do not suffer from a concussion. I think I just answered my question, perhaps it's the repeated "head banging" The issue of the safety of football helments nas been discusssed from five to ten years and nothing has changed.

Our current gun culture simply ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience-store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead.

In the coming days, Belcher’s actions will be analyzed through the lens of concussions and head injuries. Who knows? Maybe brain damage triggered his violent overreaction to a fight with his girlfriend. What I believe is, if he didn’t possess/own a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today

Jason Whitlock

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...phan-daughter-why-still-playing-sunday-120112

After praising the column, Costas said: ''In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.''

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...tlock-Kansas-City-Chiefs-Jovan-Belcher-120212

 

[ALPHA3]

Mental Illness needs to be addressed:

http://www.wafb.com/story/20239580/browns-employee-kills-self-at-practice-center


BEREA, Ohio (AP) - A member of the Cleveland Browns' grounds crew killed himself at their practice facility, a team spokesman said Sunday.

The man's body was found Saturday morning at the facility in suburban Cleveland, the same day Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager after earlier killing his girlfriend.

Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis confirmed to The Associated Press that a team employee died of a suicide, but provided no other details. He released a statement calling the man a good friend and an outstanding employee and saying the team's heartfelt condolences go out to his family.

"This is a terrible tragedy," the statement said. "He will be missed by everyone in the Cleveland Browns organization."

The Browns play in Oakland against the Raiders on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner said they were called to the practice facility to investigate a suicide Saturday morning, but would not release any further details.

 

[kellis]

Prescription drugs, concussion, and alcohol abuse are a recipe for disaster.