There’s another side to it, however. We do know that the ancient axiom of “not losing a starting role due to injury” in professional football is nothing more than pie in the sky; just ask Drew Bledsoe, for instance, about his own job status when Tom Brady took the helm after the week of game postponements following the 9/11 attacks.

Bledsoe took a vicious hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, had “severe internal bleeding” (according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter) as a result, and could have died from the injury had he not immediately been taken to the hospital. There’s certainly no doubt that Bledsoe’s injury was of the more intense variety, but he never did get his job back.

I recall during the pregame Super Bowl marathon, the pundits discussed this situation at length and Bill Belichick, in his usual fashion, waited until the very last moment possible to announce that Tom Brady would indeed be starting the game even though Bledsoe had fully recovered by then.

The reason I’m digging this factoid up is that it underscores the fact that, despite platitudes, the reality is that if you lose your starting job in the NFL for ANY reason, you better pray your replacement doesn’t outperform you or you’ll be out of a job.

I suspect the same is true at the collegiate level and even below. Winning isn’t everything – it’s the ONLY thing according to Vince Lombardi’s most famous quote. And he has many such quotes.

Logically then, players at all levels inherently must know the real truth and have been reluctant to admit to having a concussion if they can get away with it. That, in turn, leads inevitably to more players having brain damage caused by concussions or “concussion-like” impacts to the head that go completely un-diagnosed. Why is that?

Well, Boston University just produced the results of a new study earlier this month, according to Time Magazine, that took a look at 33 cases of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The findings were frightening. 15 of the cases had not been publicized, and all 33 cases were of deceased ex-NFL players.

CTE can ONLY be determined via autopsy, which makes the condition all the more insidious. There are no tests, no scans, no “nothing” that can detect it even with our fancy 21st-century medicine.

The idea of taking away the kickoff entirely has been put out there in recent days, and those particular plays account for a disproportionate number of bad injuries. If you think of it, it makes complete sense as to why – you’ve got 250-plus pound athletes colliding on an all-out sprint. That’s a lot of energy imparted to each person involved in the contact.

As for Jovan Belcher, the circumstantial evidence is damning. However, given the Donald Rumsfeld-ish “known unknowns” – the possibility of CTE being involved – we should all reserve judgement of the situation before all the facts are in.

It will be at least another week, possibly more, before autopsy results will be known.

Those results, whatever they are, will undoubtedly kick off yet another debate. If he had CTE, it will be yet another blow to the game of football and talk of getting rid of “the kickoff” entirely will start in earnest. If he had no CTE, the debate should pivot to the pressures of being an NFL player and any warning signs people may have either missed or overlooked.

In the last 8 months, 4 current or former NFL players have killed themselves. Either way, the debate is only beginning.

For more information on concussions, symptoms, and causes, there’s a great article and graphic here – Concussed.

Belcher first murdered his girlfriend, 22 yr old Kasandra Perkins, before driving about five miles to the Chiefs’ facility where he ended his life in front of Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Head Coach Romeo Crennel just after 8 a.m. this morning.

According to a telephone interview with Kansas City Police spokesman Darin Snapp, Snapp said “About (7:50 a.m), we got a call to a residence, in regards to a shooting, on the 5400 block of Crysler Avenue. The young woman was taken to a local hospital, where she died a short time later. At about 8:10 a.m., we received a call to the Arrowhead practice facility in regards to a black male armed with a gun in the parking lot, and he matched the description of the shooting suspect. Officers arrived, saw a black man with a gun to his head, and some Chiefs employees. As the officer got out of his car, he heard a gunshot. It appeared the individual shot himself. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”

He said the shooting occurred outside the front doors of the Chiefs’ training facility.

Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt released the following statement following the incident:

“The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy. We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted. We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available to all members of the organization.”

Ironically, Belcher was one of few gems embattled GM Pioli had found. An undrafted free agent, he was signed by Pioli in 2009. He went from a special-teams standout to a starting ILB in the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense. He never missed a game in his 3-plus year career and after his rookie season he started all but 2 games.

The news comes as a shock to everyone in the NFL and around the nation just a day before their scheduled home game against the Carolina Panthers. Reports indicate the NFL has told the Panthers’ organization to continue their normal plans to make the trip and play the game tomorrow.

Belcher’s untimely death ultimately should re-re-re-refocus the medical community on the highly disproportionate violence involved with current and former NFL players, possibly pointing to as-yet undiagnosed TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in Belcher. Recall that Junior Seau also killed himself earlier this year, but didn’t drag anyone else into his own violent and deathly act. At the moment, no information on this is available.

It’s obviously a sad day for everyone in the NFL, fans of the game, and everyone who knew Belcher or Ms. Perkins. Since the NFL is in the entertainment business…”The Show Must Go On.”

The Panthers should be favored in the contest but we’ll have to watch the game to see how it affects the play on the field.

A lot more details are available at NFL.com.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye