The dark story of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher finally got its first piece of even slightly good news. Less than a week after Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Kassandra Perkins, then himself, it's been reported that the couple's 3-month-old daughter Zoey will be financially supported by the NFL through her 18th birthday, or if she decides to go to college, her 23rd birthday.
NFL.com's Ian Rappaport reports that due to a clause in the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, Zoey and her guardian can expect payments from the league that break down as follows:
•$108,000 per year through the first four years of her life.
•$48,000 at year five.
•$52,000 per year from year six through eighteen or twenty-three depending on if she goes to college.
This means she can expect either $1.1 million if she doesn't go to college or $1.36 million if she does.
The money is no replacement for her parents nor any comfort for the horror that she'll have to learn about her family as she grows up, but it's nice that the NFL will be taking care of her.