Chiefs Take Field After Tragedy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A friend of the woman killed by Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher says the couple briefly lived apart last month.But Brianne York said Sunday that Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra M. Perkins, had gotten back together by Thanksgiving.She said they had argued about “normal couple issues” and Perkins had gone to visit her family in Texas and briefly stayed with her cousin, who is married to Chiefs player Jamaal Charles.Recently, she said, the couple “seemed fine.”She thought there was a mistake when she learned that Belcher killed Perkins at the couple’s home Saturday.Police said Belcher then drove to Arrowhead Stadium, where he thanked his coach and fatally shot himself.Belcher and Perkins had a 3-month-old daughter.Police didn’t release any additional information Sunday.Against the backdrop of an unthinkable tragedy, the Kansas City Chiefs gave themselves a reason to be proud Sunday – and perhaps the impetus to let the healing begin.Brady Quinn threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns, and Jamaal Charles ran for 127 yards in the Chiefs’ 27-21 victory over their Carolina Panthers. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak during one of the most difficult seasons the franchise has ever experienced.The win came just one day after Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend multiple times at a residence near Arrowhead Stadium, then drove to the team’s practice facility and turned the gun on himself as general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel looked on.Pioli walked through the press box before the game and said he was doing “OK,” though he didn’t stop to talk. Crennel was on the sideline coaching his team to an uplifting victory.
