Many people who knew Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher are expressing shock today at the news that he shot and killed his girlfriend before killing himself.
Belcher’s agent, Joe Linta, told Peter King of SI.com that it’s inconceivable that Belcher -- who seemed to love the 3-month-old daughter he had with his girlfriend -- could do something like this.
“Jovan was a happy, proud father, with pictures of his baby on his Facebook page,” Linta said. “This is shocking. Something went crazy wrong, and we’ll probably never know what it is.”
Belcher shot himself in front of team officials including Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel. Linta also represents Crennel, and he said he believes Crennel will be able to coach the Chiefs through his grief as they play their regularly scheduled game against the Panthers on Sunday.
“Life doesn’t hand you roses all the time,” Linta said. “But Romeo is a salt-of-the-earth kind of person who will rely on his faith and his determination to do what he has to do, to do what’s right. He will know what to say to his team, because he always knows what to say.”
In leading his team through this, Crennel faces as daunting a task as any coach could possibly imagine.