Nobody is giving anyone a pass. I do think Belcher should have whacked a few of you uncomprehending idiots on the way out.

Sorry UP. Anything anyone does after a death, no matter what led up to it, is automatically beyond reproach.

You are close. Read post # 2047

I've been fairly sheltered from such trauma, most of my friends through the years have turned out to be quality human beings over the years.

My biggest connection to scandal was a guy I didn't like even remotely, but he played saxaphone throughout HS which put me in proximity to him for 4 years, and he played pretty much the part of the 'hanger-on' for most of the time, tghe nerd you tolerate who occasionally scores a boob feel from some skank who hung out in your clique.

3 years into University, mom tells me that he's in jail. Turns out he and some guy he befriended after HS answered a classified ad for a used Camaro in SKC [Raymore, IIRC]. He and his new friend test drove the Camaro, then killed the owner and stole the car. Their jaunt didn't last a day. Sentenced 20+, probably just getting out around now.

What is it you think is not being comprehended?

Bowe appears to be acting in a manner consistent with giving him a "pass".

And who's calling him a martyr? Stop using that word. That implies that they are defending his actions or going on a rant against the girl.

They're mourning the loss of a friend. That mourning isn't easy, despite people who stand on the sidelines and pretend they know how they'd perfectly react in that situation. It's one thing to judge the actions of the guy, it's another to judge the actions of close, for all intents and purposes, family trying to make sense of the situation.

Bowe wearing that shirt and the players memorializing his lockers are actions that are commemorating his death. That's martyrdom. This shit needs to be nipped in the butt asap.

It's not "gets a pass," it's acknowledging the complexity of human behavior. You can tell yourself that people who do things like this are just monsters, all neat and tidy and wrapped up in a bow, but it's ignoring reality and doing a disservice to everyone by glossing over confusing, painful stuff. When people discuss mental illness, extreme stress, or other contributing factors it's not to excuse anything, but to (attempt to) shed light on what happened and why.

Dwayne Bowe is in no way "acknowledging the complexity of human behavior" in that photo.

I totally agree ! Pioli runs a very tight ship and would have had his spies out Belcher in a heartbeat and he would have been gone along time ago.

That's not what martyring is.

I have never seen a single interview from anyone that defends his actions. Or blames other people.

They are mourning. Not martyring.

The first amendment applies to the NFL how?

What frame of mind would you be in if you were 36 hours removed from the death of one of your close friends and co-workers, at your workplace, after he'd killed another person? Do you think you would have a particularly objective view of the situation, or would you maybe -- just maybe! -- react like a normal human being and be an absolute ****ing mess of conflicting emotions?

Not only is their friend dead, but their entire conception of him has been rocked to its core. The very IDEA of this person they shared a lot of their lives with has been destroyed, along with the person himself. That's not easy to process, especially not when you're preparing to perform in front of thousands of people so soon after everything happened.

You also don't see anyone saying anything remotely negative either.

I mean Eric Winston was quick to call Chief fans classless for booing Matt Casell but is suddenly quiet when it comes to his teammate killing another person.