Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn, sadly, has experience dealing with situations like this.
That doesn’t make the aftermath of Jovan Belcher’s suicide after killing his girlfriend any easier for him and his teammates to deal with.
Quinn was a member of the Broncos when teammate Kenny McKinley committed suicide in 2010, and said he has no words to offer comfort
“It’s hard to say a whole lot,” Quinn said, via Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star. “Unfortunately I was on Denver when Kenny McKinley took his life, and there’s really not any words that can describe the emotions that are involved.
“The big thing is [Belcher’s] daughter. I know a bunch of the guys are going to try to set up a fund to try to take care of his daughter. Her parents are not in her life anymore.”
Quinn described a somber scene at the Chiefs facility yesterday, when coach Romeo Crennel addressed the team not long after watching Belcher take his own life
“It was obviously tough for Coach to have to tell us that,” Quinn said. “He really wasn’t able to finish talking to us. We got together and prayed and then we moved on.”
The Chiefs are playing the Panthers as scheduled today, after the league consulted with the team and the NFLPA of the right course to take. Chiefs captains said they wanted to play, but Quinn said it was hard to know now if it was the right thing or not.
“I think everyone is just so shocked at what had taken place, being who it was and being what had happened,” Quinn said. “I think people are still trying to digest everything let alone think about playing a game. It’s tough to put into words.
“It’s hard mostly because I keep thinking about what I could have done to stop this. I think everyone is wondering whether we would have done something to prevent this from happening.
“And then we’re all thinking about his daughter, three or four months old and without a parent. It’s hard to not allow the emotions of the situation to creep into your head with the game this close. But we’re going to do the best we can to concentrate on the task at hand.”
It’s easy to say the game will be a moment of escape for the Chiefs, but the reality is what happened yesterday will never leave them, and any comfort will be temporary.