Chiefs will play Panthers at regularly scheduled time

Posted by Darin Gantt on December 1, 2012, 3:57 PM EST
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There will be no time to mourn in Kansas City before the next game.

The Chiefs just announced that tomorrow’s game will go on as scheduled, a day after linebacker Jovan Belcher committed suicide outside the team facility after killing his girlfriend.

“After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow’s game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time,” the release read.

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31 responses to “Chiefs will play Panthers at regularly scheduled time”

  2. If the coach and players (represented by the Team Captains) are all on board with playing, they should play.

    Some people would want to postpone (like me), but some guys prefer to cope with loss by playing (Think wide receiver Torrey Smith of the Ravens, who had one of the best games of his career days after learning his brother had died.)

    If the players and coach want to play, they should play.

    My condolences to all the families involved in this tragedy.

  3. If it was truly the decision of the team’s coaches and player captains, so be it.

    I hope people don’t attack this decision. You should understand that everyone grieves differently.

    It may be hard for you to believe or understand, what the Kansas City Chief family decides to do is really none of anyone else’s business.

  4. Life goes on, but this is going to weigh heavily on the minds and hearts of the Chiefs. My condolences to all involved.

  5. So sad. People really need to love eachother more. That’s what the world is missing. Love. It’s all anyone really wants.

  6. Brett Favre had perhaps the greatest game of his career right after his father/coach, Irv, passed away.

    realitypolice makes a good point, also. If the Chiefs want to go ahead as planned and the league goes along with it, no one else gets or is entitled to a vote.

  9. Condolences to all involved. On Sunday, I believe that everyone besides Panther fans (and maybe fellow AFC West fans) can say “Go Chiefs!”

  10. I hope the players voted to play the game as well and not just the organization and the League office.

    In any event, we should support whatever decision the Kansas City community decides will best help them deal with a horrific situation.

    Best to the Chiefs, players, families and the people of Kansas City.

  12. I don’t know how his teammates can take the field tomorrow, or how Romeo Crennel can coach this game, but it’s their choice to do so, and I respect that.

    God bless all who take that field tomorrow.

  13. Give both teams a W, refund the ticket holders and call it a day. Both teams have no shot at the playoffs and the events of today FAR outweigh a meaningless game tomorrow

  14. They shouldnt play this game. The chiefs are bad enough without this tradgedy theres no way in hell their gonna be emotionally ready to play this game. They should just postpone or give the victory to the panthers

  18. First, let me extend prayers and condolences to the loved ones of Javon Belcher and his girlfriend, and my hope that that poor baby girl will grow up loved and happy…

    Second, if they voted to play, that’s fine, no one else should have an issue with it.

  19. If they decided as a team to play then that is fine. However, stop comparing this to a player losing his dad or brother. Both are horrible losses, but this is different. A current player committed murder and then killed himself in the parking lot of the stadium/training facility in front of members of the team. Hopefully, the team, players, and fans will do something to help the little girl who lost her parents.

  20. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Chiefs organization and the families left behind by this tragic event. I would not blame Romeo one bit if he didn’t coach tomorrow I can’t even imagine watching someone I care about do that to themself. If this is really what the team wants then game on. This Bronco fan is pulling for the Chiefs tomorrow.

  21. Shame on the NFL and the Chiefs ownership if they play this game. I mean get real its not like the chiefs are trying to get into the playoffs. K.C. Will have the #1 pick in next years draft weather they play the game or not so why not just forfit? ($$$$$) greedy pigs. Some things in this life are more important than football. Everyone in the Chiefs organization should be at home with their families tomorrow.

  22. I’m really, really torn on this one. If KC voted to play, then I take that as their way of grieving/coping with this terrible tragedy.

    As being someone who has struggled with crippling depression in my life, the WORST possible thing is to be left with time to think about the things in your life that are emotionally destroying you. It is FAR better to be actively engaged in something.

    No one, not one of us, unless we had this exact situation occur, can even begin to fathom what the Chiefs, the city of Kansas City, and the NFL are trying to deal with. This is unprecedented. There is nothing in the CBA that handles this situation.

    Yes, for those not reading everything about this story, it seems like a cash-grab that the NFL would allow this game to go on whether or not KC says they want to play.

    But, for the fans, players and the KC organization, they’ve decided this is what will help them cope the most. And that’s good enough for me in the end.

    As someone who has lost 2 relatives to suicide, you never heal. You never fully recover. You try to move on, try to understand, but you never, ever will.

  23. Why is it that Crennel always walks away from a team with a $4-6/mm annual salary for 2-3+ years?

  24. “Give both teams a W”

    Really. Think about that for a minute. 9_9

    If anything, they would just get a ‘tie’ result (kinda surprised the NFL didn’t move the game back at least one day or so, though).

  26. Find out who stands to lose $$$ if the game is cancelled. There is your answer to this ridiculous situation.

  27. There will be time to mourn after you make the owner of the Chiefs and the league lots of money

  28. as a member of the Kansas City community its so crazy that this happened. We all want Pioli and Crennel fired but nobody deserves to have to witness the suicide of an employee. I feel so bad for everyone involved but especially for Pioli and Crennel. They’ll probably never lose that mental image for the rest of their lives.

    The game should go on, too many people rely on the paychecks that the game provides, the parking people, the concessions people, not mention the team staff and the players.

  29. I don’t know how they’ll play tomorrow. Football would be the last thing on my mind, especially if I witnessed the suicide. Who knows? Maybe it’ll distract them for a few hours.

  30. With this type of tragedy I could understand canceling the game. However I am a chef at an nfl stadium and canceling would cause major issues for every dept in the stadium, the fans, right on down to the parking attendants. So much planning goes into one game and to cancel it the day before would be throwing away so many hours of work. I hear others saying to move the game to Monday but the reality is a lot of stadiums have events going on everyday. We are booked almost everyday in December with holiday parties. I understand the notion but it would wreck havoc in a lot of other way to cancel or postpone.

  31. I’m not going to be so cynical that I’m going to start declaring there’s some conspiracy that NFL or anyone other than the players made this decision. This is so horrible that I can’t digest anything that would add to that awfulness. I respect their decision and hope this adds a welcome respite from this tragedy.

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