I don't for a second wish to be insensitive to Jovan Belcher's family, or to his fans and teammates with the Kansas City Chiefs, but I need to get this off my chest. I've wondered how the NFL should/would handle this unmistakeable tragedy, and these are my thoughts.
By no means should the NFL cancel tomorrow's Panthers-Chiefs game in Kansas City. Furthermore, there should be not even be a moment of silence for Jovan in Kansas City or anywhere else around the league. Jovan's death was only half of yesterday's tragedy. He also killed Kasandra Perkins, the mother of his child. Neither the National Football League nor any of its teams should insist on holding a moment of silence for a murderer; it simply would not be right.
I can't think of a situation like this before in the NFL. I can think of one in another "sport". Professional wrestler Chris Benoit, along with the rest of his family, died on a Sunday night in June 2007 under unclear circumstances. WWE decided to cancel the next night's show and air a 2-hour tribute to Benoit instead. All seemed well and good, and the tribute seemed fitting, until, shortly afterward, police determined that Benoit killed his family before killing himself (robbery initially hadn't been ruled out). WWE was broadly condemned for rushing to pay tribute to someone who turned out to be a murderer. And rightly so.
We apparently have little reason to doubt that Jovan Belcher took an innocent life before taking his own. It is not wise, suitable or right that his death be publicly mourned. Regrettable as all deaths are, if there's a moment of silence at the Dome for Jovan Belcher tomorrow, I'll remain seated. So should everyone else.
-$-
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