Jovan Belcher was part of Male Athletes Against Violence and had pledged against attacking females

Kansas City Chief Jovan Belcher was a member of a group which campaigns against violence towards women.

Jovan Belcher – who was raised by his own mother – was part of Male Athletes Against Violence and had pledged to develop deep-held beliefs against attacking females.

Among the promises he would have made is one to “look honestly at my actions in regard to violence and make changes if necessary”.

Jovan Belcher, 25, would also have taken part in the White Ribbon campaign – those taking part vow to “never to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women”.

The linebacker was a member of MAAV whilst studying at the University of Maine where he played football for three years until he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.

On Saturday his past as an anti-violence campaigner apparently meant little when he shot Kasandra Perkins dead in a row when she came home from an R&B concert the night before.

His mother discovered the body as she was living in the house too and called 911.

Jovan Belcher then drove to his team’s stadium and shot himself dead in front of his coach and general manager.

He and Kasandra Perkins lived together and three months ago had a baby girl but are said to have rowed frequently.

The horrific murder suicide came one day before a Kansas home game against the Carolina Panthers which went ahead as scheduled.

Just a day after the deaths, the Chiefs would take the field against the Carolina Panthers eventually winning their second game of the season 27-21.

As friends and family try to work out what drove Jovan Belcher over the edge, it now seems that in recent years he was a champion of women’s rights.

Whilst at UMaine he was part of MAAV which describes itself as an “effort to involve men so that we can begin to understand that violence is very much a man’s issue”.

It supports the White Ribbon campaign in which male athletes wear a white ribbon as a public display of their stand against violent men.

Among the promotional posters are some with football players which have slogans like: “Join the huddle. Work together to end violence” and “Stand tough against violence”.

Jovan Belcher himself has even spoken about his respect for women which he developed because his father was never around.

In a 2008 interview he said: “My mother is a hardworking woman.

“To see her overcome some things and succeed, it makes me look at things and say, <<this isn’t even hard>>.

“I didn’t really have a father figure, so they provided nice guidance for me.”

Judging from pictures posted on Kasandra Perkins’ Facebook page, Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend had appeared to be happy and in love following the birth of their first child.

Jovan Belcher had argued with his girlfriend after she came home late from an R&B concert the night before he shot her dead then drove to his team’s stadium and committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager, it has emerged.

The 25-year-old Kansas City Chiefs linebacker fatally shot 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins early on Saturday morning, then killed himself in the presence of Chiefs staff after first thanking them for everything they had done for him, police said.

The couple lived together and three months ago had a baby together on September 11 – but a friend said they quarreled frequently, and added that they fought when Kasandra Perkins arrived home at 1 a.m. after attending a performance by Trey Songz.

Authorities did not confirm a possible motive for the murder-suicide, which stunned the team and came one day before a home game against the Carolina Panthers. The NFL said the game would go on as scheduled.