Topic: Junior Seau - Suicide?

[IronDioPriest]

Wow, so often one can never see it coming.

Junior Seau Dead  Cops Suspect Suicide

11:33 AM PDT -- Sources tell us ... Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Back in 2011, former NFL star Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest ... and explained in his suicide note that he wanted his brain donated to a research center because he believed the blows he took to the head during his football career caused him to become mentally impaired.

11:27 AM PDT -- We're told a 911 call came in around 10:00 AM. No word on who made the call.

11:26 AM PDT -- The North County Times is reporting Seau's body was discovered by his housekeeper.

11:23 AM PDT -- The coroner just arrived on scene.

NFL legend Junior Seau was found dead in his home in Oceanside, CA ... and a law enforcement source at the scene tells us cops believe he shot himself.

Seau was 43-years-old ... and leaves behind 3 kids and an ex-wife.

Cops are currently at Seau's home -- located in San Diego County -- and were seen talking with a man who was inside the house and appeared distraught.

We're told Seau sent text messages to his ex-wife and 3 kids yesterday saying, "Love you." We're told they all responded and didn't suspect anything was wrong.  We're told he last saw his kids 3 weeks ago.

Sources close to Seau tell us family members didn't notice any signs of depression in recent weeks.

Seau was a beast in the NFL -- skyrocketing to fame thanks to his explosive play with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. The USC standout was selected in the first round of the NFL draft in 1990 and played in the league for 20 years.

Seau was involved in a car accident back in 2010 when he drove his SUV off a cliff in Carlsbad, CA hours after he was arrested for allegedly attacking his girlfriend. Seau later said he was not trying to kill himself ... insisting he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

[Libertas]

Sad.  But I cannot accept the excuse he gave, there has to be more going on than a history of concussions.  I've been knocked out several times, mostly when I was young and still a minor and supposedly more at risk for long-term effects...and I (thnk God) have zero desire to shoot myself in the chest.

I think we may be hearing more on this.

In the meantime I feel for his kids.  They are the ones that got screwed out of a father here.

 

[ToddF]

A little factoid I saw in one of the stories went something along the lines of now 9 people from the 1994 Super Bowl team are now dead.

Not a long life expectancy for today's NFL player.

[charlesoakwood]

If he has been diagnosed with onset dementia of some sort
that will set it.  It will also play hell with MLF.  If he hasn't
been diagnosed it should be investigated as foul play.

[Libertas]

I got in a small argument with a co-worker yesterday upon hearing this news.  My whole point is people who are "experts" (doctors treating kids & adults who suffer concussions) I have heard all of them say getting concussions when you are young and still developing (under 18) is worse than suffering concussions as an adult, and a number of concussions can have a deleterious effect over time, hence the "baseline" analysis they do now.  I made the comment that I suffered many concussions, most when I was still quite young, most related to boxing/fighting, and I am not brain-damaged (too much) nor do I have a desire to kill myself...his only comeback was "not the same as getting hit by an NFL player".  Uhh huh...so...the equipment they have now, gel stuff, reactive parts & high-impact resins that are twice as effective in protecting the spam from hitting the inside of the can than models of 10 years ago, and those models of 10 years ago were twice as better as the models from 20 years ago, etc etc on back to the leather helmet/no helmet eras...by my co-workers logic there should be legions of brain-damaged suicidal former NFL players of each generation...only, there are not legion of brain-dead suicidal NFL players of any generation.  I have seen a lot of "punch-drunk" former professional boxers, so anecdotal evidence there leads me to conclude getting your brains bashed in is not so good, and who has experienced that more than boxers.  My contention is that the hysteria built up over fears of cumulative concussions by NFL players may have had a role in Junior Seau shooting himself in the heart, if in fact that is what happened.

[Libertas]

Not fully conclusive as yet but I heard on the radio on the drive in this morning that Seau did not have and drugs or anything in him and his brain showed no signs of trauma.  We'll see if these folks he donated his brain to come up with anything, hopefully they are ethical and don't go inventing what they want to find.  As it stands it appears hysteria over concussions may have unleashed his worst fears and driven him to this sad end.