Jovan Belcher is not the first Kansas City Chiefs football player to commit murder after killing the mother of his child. Back in September, 1980 former Chiefs player Jim Tyrer killed his wife, Martha, and mother of their four children and then shot himself. Despite having killed his wife, Tyrer was recently honored for his football accomplishments with a permanent plaque at the Chiefs’ stadium in September, 2012. Apparently, few see the inconsistency in honoring a murderer for his past sports accomplishments. Jim Tyrer was part of the Chiefs Super bowl team of 1969 and played from 1961 - 1973 with the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring with the Redskins in 1974. A 20-30 foot name plate in the Chiefs Ring of Honor was erected on the Kansas City Chiefs stadium in September, 2012, making him a hero, along with other Chiefs Hall of Fame inductees. And checking some online comments suggests that some people still want Jim Tyrer in the NFL Hall of Fame—despite being a murderer. He’s … [Read more...] about Jovan Belcher’s Murder-Suicide and Football’s Inconsistencies
Archives for December 2012
The Kansas City Chiefs Murder-Suicide is Domestic Violence
On Saturday, 25 year old Jovan Belcher, a Kansas City Chiefs football player shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, the mother of their three month old daughter, during an argument. Then he went to the stadium and in front of his coach and general manager also took his life. At the Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday, a moment of silence was held before the game for both lives taken and those of domestic violence. No names were announced. A viewer of Washington, DC TV station WUSA 9 commented in an Email read on air that the loss of Kasandra Perkins was the real loss. Belcher chose to take his own life. Imagine for a moment that the suicide-murder was conducted by a non-sports or by a person not in the media. It would be rare that we would be focusing on the killer instead of solely on the woman whose life was cut short by murder. But the media appears focused more on the Kansas City Chiefs player and murderer. And I believe in compassion. Yet, I believe in … [Read more...] about The Kansas City Chiefs Murder-Suicide is Domestic Violence
Should a Poverty Tour be Supported by Walmart?
Stephanie Miller of Current TV recently started a fund to collect money for the Salvation Army. Then after collecting some funds, she dropped her request stating that the Salvation Army may be anti-gay. She quickly apologized for the mistake. And she located another organization to support to help those in need. While the Salvation Army’s web site does not contain any reference to discrimination based on sexual orientation, nonetheless, Miller stated that she could not accept funds for and support an organization that she believes speaks to LGBT intolerance. By way of contrast, Tavis Smiley and Cornel West are on a poverty tour crusade to speak out against the Obama Administration and in support of poor people’s rights. On the one hand, their actions might seem admirable. Many people seem to have forgotten to advocate for the least among us. There’s a lot of talk about the middle class but the word “poor” is rarely used. But here’s where the issue goes back to Stephanie Miller. … [Read more...] about Should a Poverty Tour be Supported by Walmart?