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Sandra L. Brown, MA of The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Document the Abuse.Com

By now most have heard about the appalling shooting death of Kasandra Perkins by Kansas City Chiefs player, Jovan Belcher, who subsequently shot himself in front of other Chiefs’ personnel. There have since been cries from domestic violence advocates across the country calling for the NFL to take a stronger stand when their athletes exhibit dangerous behavior.

Whether Belcher outwardly showed himself to be troubled, or whether those around him didn’t recognize the red flags, we will never know, but, history says that this is going to happen again some time in the future. What can the NFL proactively do to help their athletes and to keep their families safe from their rages?

From National Post:

 

“After the Jovan Belcher murder/suicide, there’s been a lot of talk about making more and better counseling services available to NFL players. And certainly, Commissioner Roger Goodell has made clear his goal of reducing domestic violence in the league. “We are going to do some things to combat this problem because some of the numbers on DUIs and domestic violence are going up and that disturbs me,” he told CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman. “When there’s a pattern of mistakes, something has got to change.”

But what Goodell has done to address this pattern as of now is unclear. Earlier this year, the commissioner suspended Saints defensive end Will Smith for his role in the team’s “bounty program.” (Smith has continued to play while the suspension is under appeal.) But he faced no league sanction when, in 2010, he was charged with domestic battery after allegedly grabbing his wife by the hair during an argument outside a nightclub. Though he was indicted by a grand jury in 2011, the charges against Smith were dismissed this March when he performed community service, went to domestic violence counseling sessions and wrote an apology letter to the police.”

Too often the athlete, celebrity, or high profile individual gets the most of media coverage, and sometimes forgiveness, and the name of the victim is quickly forgotten. Kasandra Perkins is the victim and her name and her life should be honored and remembered. Another often overlooked victim in cases of murder/suicide is the children. They are relegated to small mentions in media coverage and yet they are the ones who will be orphaned and carry the burden of loss for the rest of their lives.

Sandra L. Brown, M.A., CEO of The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction & Public Psychopathy Education is a psychopathologist, program development specialist, lecturer, and an award-winning author. Her books include the award winning Women Who Love Psychopaths: Inside the Relationships of Inevitable Harm with Psychopaths, Sociopaths & Narcissists as well as How to Spot a Dangerous Man Before You Get Involved, and Counseling Victims of Violence: A Handbook for Helping Professionals.

Related articles

• Hill: Time to end the silence about domestic violence (espn.go.com)
• Commentary: Gun debate misses the point in Belcher case (kansascity.com)
• Domestic violence: Kasandra Perkins’ death makes us realize that statistics reflect a grim reality (thegrio.com)
• Let’s Talk About Kasandra Perkins for a Change (jezebel.com)
• Liguori: Instead Of Crying For Jovan Belcher, Focus Your Attention On The Victims (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• NFL Steps Up: Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins’ To Receive $1M From League (madamenoire.com)
• Murder? What Murder? (thedailybeast.com)
• Kasandra Perkins Family: Mother Called 911, Witnessed Shooting (Picture) (domesticviolencevoices.org)
• Jovan Belcher, upset over woman, punched out window while at UMaine (bangordailynews.com)