Police: Belcher threatened victim in text
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher threatened to kill his girlfriend in a text message sent before he shot her to death, a police report indicates.
Police investigators said in a report obtained Tuesday by The Kansas City Star that Belcher -- who shot and killed Kasandra Perkins before taking his own life Dec. 1 -- had texted another woman saying he "would shoot" Perkins "if she didn't leave him alone."
Belcher, 25, shot and killed Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, in the home they shared Dec. 1. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself with a different weapon in the parking lot.
The report indicated Belcher told a 22-year-old "secret girlfriend" that Perkins "knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry," adding that Perkins had "threatened to take all his money and his child if they split up."
The Star said the Belcher case file it had obtained held nearly 60 pages of witness interviews, recovered evidence and officer observations.
It contained evidence the relationship between the player and Perkins had become dangerously strained leading up to the murder-suicide.
Bears running back Bush on injured list
CHICAGO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Chicago Bears have placed running back Michael Bush on injured reserve, the team said Tuesday.
Bush, who specialized in carrying the ball in high-pressure situations near the goal line, scored five touchdowns for Chicago this season before succumbing to a rib injury.
He ran for 411 yards on 114 carries over 13 games, while also catching nine passes for 83 yards.
His roster spot was filled when the Bears re-signed running back Kahlil Bell, who returns to the team after being released earlier this season.
Bell, who has gained 589 rushing yards on 131 carries over a four-year career, was cut by New York Jets this week.
Tampa offers settlement for false arrest
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Tampa, Fla., City Council will consider whether to offer $65,000 to settle a false arrest charge against a woman accused of selling fake Super Bowl tickets.
Svetlana Savacenco, 28, and James DiZoglio, 48, were arrested at the Super Bowl in 2009 on charges of selling counterfeit tickets to the game -- tickets the National Football League later confirmed were genuine.
Charges against Savacenco and DiZoglio -- a ticket broker -- were dropped, and city officials have proposed the settlement for Savacenco, who was sitting in the couple's car when the two were arrested, the Tampa Bay, Fla. Times reported Tuesday.
The couple sued the city but a federal judge has thrown out most of their claims, ruling that police had "arguable probable cause" to arrest DiZoglio, the newspaper said.
Steelers sue stadium owner over upgrades
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are suing the municipal authority that owns Heinz Field for $35 million in stadium improvements the team says aren't its responsibility.
Heinz Field, where the Steelers have played for 11 seasons, is owned by the Sports & Exhibition Authority, a taxpayer-supported joint entity overseen by the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Negotiations over who should pay for improvements at the stadium, which include a $3.65 million scoreboard and $40 million for the addition of 3,000 end zone seats, had been ongoing for months before breaking down, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Tuesday.
Authority lawyers declined to comment on the suit in specific, saying they hadn't fully read it. Mary Conturo, executive director of the authority, acknowledged most of the issues raised in the suit were the same as what the two sides failed to agree on earlier this year.
The Tribune-Review said Steelers owner Arthur Rooney II couldn't be reached this week, but in a statement released Oct. 31 as negotiations deteriorated, said the authority hadn't met its obligations to the team as its landlord.
