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Week 13 of the NFL season is already underway and Cal alumni have already made their impact. On Thursday, the Atlanta Falcons improved to 11-1 with a 23-13 victory over the fading New Orleans Saints. Cal alumni Thomas DeCoud (7 tackles, interception in end zone) and Tony Gonzalez (58 rec yards, 1 TD) had good nights.
Week 13 continues with 15 more games today and Monday. One of those games is Carolina at Kansas City, where the NFL decided the game would go on as scheduled despite the shocking murder-suicide involving Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher. On Saturday, Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to the Chiefs' facility and Arrowhead Stadium, where he shot himself to death. To make a horrific tragedy even more unimaginable, Belcher killed himself in front of Chiefs' head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli after thanking the both of them for all they had done for him. Yahoo! Sports columnist and Cal alumnus Michael Silver thinks the league is making a big mistake in allowing the game to go forward amid this tragedy.
I'm appalled that the team and league are sticking to the script, and I question the logic behind the decision. Pardon my skepticism, and that of one Chiefs player who predicted this in the wake of the tragedy: "It's all about money," he said.
In this particular situation, it shouldn't be. If the NFL wanted to do the right thing for the players, coaches and team employees reeling from this horrible occurrence — not to mention the loved ones of Belcher and, most of all, Kasandra Perkins, the woman he is believed to have slain — the league should have postponed the game until at least Monday, or canceled it.
Yeah, I know, the NFL is a big business, and the warriors who play in it are asked to push through adversity to perform at almost any cost. In recent years, games weren't canceled after Cincinnati Bengals wideout Chris Henry and Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor suffered sudden and tragic deaths. I understand why some people want the Chiefs to swallow their grief and strap it on and help tens of thousands of fans through the healing process.
I just happen to think they're wrong.
What do you think? Share any thoughts in the comments.
This is your open thread for all the games. Comment on the games, particularly on any happenings featuring Cal's various alumni in the NFL.
Full schedule below. Enjoy the games
