Chiefs begin picking up pieces after heartache

The Obama Administration has withdrawn plans to oppose tariffs that reduce import duties on some types of specialty outdoor shoes and boots.

The administration's intentions, revealed Nov. 16, inspired coordinated opposition among outdoor industry officials. However, the administration dropped its opposition  Friday, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based Outdoor Industry Association.

Association leaders contended the administration's action, if allowed to take effect after the end of the year, could raise retail prices as much as 38 percent on some footwear. 

In response, industry leaders sent nearly 200 emails to Congress and the administration in less than a week, after the White House revealed its intentions Nov. 16. Locally, Columbia Sportswear and LaCrosse Footwear were among the Oregon companies that opposed the tariffs.

"This is a major victory for the outdoor industry and also for our consumers," Frank Hugelmeyer, the outdoor association's chief executive, said in a news release. "The administration's new position will help ensure stable retail prices on these leading outdoor products and keep them more affordable for American families."

The products represent 30 percent of outdoor specialty sales. And the eight tariffs amount to $30 million in costs savings annually.

Nearly $121 billion is spent annually on apparel, footwear, equipment, vehicles, accessories and services in the U.S., according to the outdoor association.

The industry now hopes the administration and Congress support for 10 other tariff-related bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs returned to work Monday at their practice facility near Arrowhead Stadium, trying to find a sense of normalcy after two days of unimaginable heartache.

The locker that once belong to Jovan Belcher, the linebacker who killed his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself Saturday, still had all his belongings in it. His shoes were piled up on the floor and freshly laundered clothes hung from a hook.

Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli had to walk past the place in the parking lot where Belcher put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger to enter the building, and Crennel admitted to an unsettling feeling that came over him.

Teammates gathered in meetings and to watch film from Sunday's emotional 27-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers, one that ended an eight-game losing streak. They couldn't help but notice the empty seat that once belonged to their close friend.

"We have to deal with the events of the last few days, and it's not over, and it may not be over for some of us for most of our lives, but time heals all wounds, and so we're going to start working on the time thing," said Crennel, who's been a rock for everyone in the organization.

"It was like coming to work like you normally do," he said. "Now you think about the events as you walk through the door and walk through the parking lot, but you know the events are over, and you can't undo them. All you can do is work for the future and toward the future."