Former IBF and WBC champion Arturo Gatti, 37, was found murdered by strangulation over the weekend in Brazil, where the Italian-born Canadian was vacationing with his family. His wife, 23-year-old Amanda Carina Barbosa Rodrigues Gatti, has been detained as a suspect after inconsistencies in her story.
Police believe he was drunk and went to sleep, was first struck in the back of his head and then strangled with a purse strap, He may have been dead for 10 hours before authorities were called…
Amanda Gatti denies any connection to the murder and has blamed a third party. She could not explain why it took 10 hours for authorities to be notified. Police believe a third party involvement would be almost impossible because they were on the second floor with a key card security system with only one window. [Examiner]
People who watch boxing say that Gatti was a highly entertaining boxer, winning Fight of the Year honors three times on his way to a 40-9 record during a career that ended in 2007. Which makes me feel even worse about my reaction. A friend told me Saturday night that “Arturo Gatti” had been murdered in Brazil in what may have been a mob hit, and I said, “AWESOME!” I thought Arturo was one of the Gotti brothers. My bad.
UPDATE: Looks like it was murder-suicide committed by his extramarital girlfriend. Yikes.
Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead today in downtown Nashville after suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the head. McNair, a former third-overall pick for the Houston Oilers, was the centerpiece of the new Tennessee Titans, leading them to their only Super Bowl appearance and earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and a share of the 2003 NFL MVP. From Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 (via KSK):
A crowd began to gather in the area where Steve McNair’s body was found Saturday afternoon.
“When police officers arrived in response to that call, they found two individuals who had been shot to death inside the residence: one female, one male. We now know that the male deceased is Steve McNair. The female deceased has been tentatively identified. We’re working to confirm that and then notify her next of kin,” said Don Aaron with Metro Police on the situation.
No suspects have been taken into custody as of yet, and we can only hope that the female victim is not his wife, Mechelle. McNair is survived by four sons, including Steve Jr., a highly touted college prospect at wide receiver.
So, uh, happy 4th of July?
Lamar Hunt, the Kansas City Chiefs founder/owner and sports pioneer, died yesterday of complications from prostate cancer.
Hunt was the son of an obscenely wealthy oilman, so it would have made sense for him to be some colossal douchebag, but instead he was pretty awesome. He founded the AFL, spearheaded the AFL-NFL merger, and coined the term "Super Bowl." Basically, football wouldn't be what it is today without his extraordinary influence.
And yet, when I initially read the sentence "Lamar Hunt died," I was like, "Who?" Then I read a little more and I thought, "Oh, right, right. Got it." I just couldn't place the name, and all the other Lamars I know about are black, so that was confusing.
Anyway, best wishes and all that to the Hunt family. Perhaps the Chiefs can get inspired by this and make a run for the Super Bowl the way the Giants did last year after Wellington Mara died. What's that you say? The Giants got shut out in a first-round playoff game last year? Oh. Well, maybe it would be better if the Chiefs just missed the playoffs and tried again next year.
(By the way, that's Dreamboat holding the Lamar Hunt trophy, given every year to the AFC champion. Hey, I gotta keep things sexy around here.)
