Chiefs’ Belcher was legally drunk
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he shot his girlfriend nine times and then killed himself in front of his coach and general manager, an autopsy released Monday showed.
The Jackson County (Mo.) medical examiner report on Belcher, 25, raised new questions about whether police should have done more before the Dec. 1 murder-suicide. Officers found Belcher sleeping in his idling car about five hours earlier but let him go inside a nearby apartment to sleep it off.
At the time of the autopsy, Belcher’s blood-alcohol level was 0.17, more than twice the limit of 0.08% for Missouri drivers, and it was probably higher when he shot girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, 22, at the couple’s Kansas City home.
A police report released previously said Belcher had gone out the night before with a woman he was dating on the side while Perkins attended a concert with her friends.
Police who found Belcher sleeping in his Bentley outside the woman’s apartment told him to turn off the ignition and he complied, the report said.
The report said Belcher “initially displayed possible signs of being under the inf luence [asleep and disoriented].” But the report added that after a few minutes of being awake his “demeanor and communication became more fluid and coherent.” The report added that officers didn’t smell alcohol on Belcher, and that there were no signs of his being “violent or emotionally unstable.”
Eagles interview Whisenhunt
Add yet another name to the Philadelphia Eagles’ list of coaching candidates.
Former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed with Philadelphia on Monday morning as the team’s search to replace An- dy Reid entered its third week. Whisenhunt was dismissed by Arizona on Dec. 31 after six seasons.
The Eagles also were scheduled to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden on Monday, bringing the total number of known candidates to 11.
Panthers looking for coordinator
A person familiar with the situation says the Carolina Panthers interviewed Pat Shurmur and Hue Jackson for their vacant offensive coordinator position. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has not released its list of candidates.
The Panthers are looking to replace Rob Chudzinski, who left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns last week.
Chudzinski replaced Shurmur, who was fired after two seasons with the Browns. Shurmur previously served as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and has 23 years of coaching experience, including 12 in the NFL.
Jackson, currently an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals, also has head coaching experience. He was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for one season. Etc.
Police in Jersey City, N.J., said they have been trying to contact Tennessee Titans wide receiver and former Rutgers star Kenny Britt to question him about an incident Sunday in which he allegedly drove a friend to the hospital after the man had been stabbed at a party. ... The Indianapolis Colts hired Jimmy Raye as their new vice president of football operations. He replaces Tom Telesco, who was named San Diego’s general manager late last week. Raye spent the last five seasons as the Chargers’ director of player personnel. ... The Buffalo Bills hired Danny Crossman to be specialteams coordinator. He spent the last three seasons as the Detroit Lions’ special-teams coach.