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#Post#: 96--------------------------------------------------
Jovan Belcher: A Respected Player
By: Rrashid Date: December 5, 2012, 6:31 pm
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Jovan Belcher: A Respected Player
Rifath Rashid ‘14
On December 1st, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a great loss
after the death of linebacker Jovan Belcher. Although the team
is beginning to recover now, the death of an important player
and the doleful story behind it will not be forgotten.
Jovan Belcher was a talented, hard-working, and respectful
player who garnered a great amount of attention during his four
years at West Babylon High School, a four-year public high
school only about 30 minutes from Herricks. Belcher led his High
school team to its first undefeated season, and was also a
three-time all American wrestler. After High School, he further
pursued his football career at the University of Maine, where he
started every game and earned a plethora of accolades.
That Saturday morning was filled with momentous events. As
police reported, the debacle
was initiated when Belcher repeatedly pulled the trigger on his
girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins.
His mother, Cheryl E. Shepherd, who was also at home at the
time, rushed to call Police,
relating what happened. After the Police arrived, Perkins was
rushed to the hospital, where she unfortunately passed away
moments later.
Shepherd told police that she treated Perkins like her own, and
that she felt the emotional strife accompanied by the loss.
Hours after he murdered his girlfriend, Belcher was found in a
parking lot talking with head coach Romeo Crennel and General
Manager Scott Pioli of the chiefs. Holding a gun at his side,
he thanked Crennel and Pioli for all that they had done for him
as a Chiefs player, and moments later committed suicide on the
asphalt of that lot.
The definite cause of this conflict has yet to be determined.
Relatives, including Belcher’s mother, noted that he and Perkins
were arguing over some issues, but nothing potent enough to
provoke homicidal action.
However, the talented athlete’s past shows that he has had a
violently emotional issue with girls. Investigation of past
police reports showed that during his time at the University of
Maine, Belcher was spotted by a police officer who found Belcher
with bruised hands after punching a window, which was a result
of anger from a conflict with a girl.
The night before Perkins’s murder and Belcher’s suicide,
Belcher was found partying with another woman. Nothing serious
happened between Belcher and the woman that night, but when he
returned home the next morning, he murdered Perkins.
His night spent with another woman coupled with the previous
arguments he was having with Perkins were probably the main
factors in inciting the whole murderous incident.
Surprisingly, the whole event seemed uncharacteristic
considering Belcher’s personality. His teammates and relatives
revered his altruism and good-will. Additionally, teammates
noted that he did play hard and rough on the field, but in
person he was a tactful man, making this whole issue a great
surprise for them.
Anthony Becht, a close teammate of Belcher responded to the
event by noting that, “There was nothing about him that seemed
abnormal; it’s not like he was on the field ripping guys’ heads
off. He was a hard-nosed player, he practiced hard; in the
locker room, he’d hang out. What could have caused him to make
him do that?” Becht, like many of the Chiefs, considers this
event to be incongruous with Belcher’s kind-hearted personality.
As for the Chiefs, they are beginning to transition into a
recovery period, but hold the mournful story steady in their
minds.
Clark Hunt, owner of the Chiefs, informed reporters that “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 N.F.L. communities, and ask for continued prayers for
the loved ones of those impacted.”
Belcher’s family is emotionally damaged by his death and will
probably remain so for a while. Perkin’s daughter, Zoe Michelle,
will now live as an orphan with Belcher’s mother in West
Babylon.
In reverence of their greatly missed teammate, the Kansas City
Chiefs have created a fund to support the now orphaned Zoe
Michelle.
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