For the past 26 years I’ve been advocating that athletic teams become support groups, allowing athletes to share their personal issues with each other in a support group environment. This allows them to discuss and diffuse problems they might be experiencing in their personal lives. The result is they become healthier psychologically and develop enhanced feelings of self-worth (self-esteem) which also enhances their performance in their sport. Unfortunately, many coaches (especially in the NFL) believe this is “sissy stuff” and refuse to set up these types of group sessions. And some owners are under the misconception that if you pay a player enough money he will perform, without even considering what might be going on in his personal life. I believe that if the Kansas City Chiefs had had a support group program in effect, there’s a good possibility Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins might still be alive.