Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Legendary Inside Linebacker Junior Seau Found Dead at California Home; Apparent Suicide

Earlier this morning former San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots inside linebacker and legend Junior Seau was found dead at his California home. Police are investigating the case as a suicide after finding a handgun near his body and finding an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his chest.

It is unknown what his reason for taking his own life was, but one could assume it had to do with brain trauma from his playing days. It's tough to say without knowing additional information, but there seems to be a connection between suicides of former professional football players and brain damage.

Seau, 43, played 20 seasons in the National Football League and was the anchor of the San Diego Chargers' defense for 13 solid seasons, including the 1994 Chargers team that made a trip to the Super Bowl (lost to Steve Young's Niners).
Accumulating over 1,500 tackles and 56.5 sacks throughout his two decade-long career, Seau cemented himself as a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was named to 12 Pro Bowls and six First-Team All Pros (10 All Pro selections in total). He is also a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team and is in the Chargers' Hall of Fame.

But it's not what Seau accomplished on the field that has people from all over––not just family and friends––grieving today. Seau was a role model for all of the younger players in the league and was always doing everything he could to help the people around him.

He made everyone he met feel welcome and was one of the most friendliest and outgoing guys you could meet.

Unfortunately, I was never able to personally meet Seau but I was able to catch some interviews and statements from the police chief, Seau's mother and sister, and numerous players that shared the same locker room with him. All the players that have spoken out about Seau said the same thing: caring, friendly, etc. He would always go the extra mile to help those in need, and would put others before himself. True teammate.

Tedy Bruschi, Lorenzo Neal and Marcellus Wiley were among the player interviews I watched. It was Wiley's that caught my attention the most. Instant tear-jerker. He had trouble getting himself together because of how much Seau meant to him as a teammate and a person. The most remarkable part about that is the fact Wiley played with Seau for only two seasons and Wiley was still impacted greatly just by sharing the same locker room.

Hearing all of these stories on television really makes me wish I was able to meet Seau in person. I feel as though he would have changed my life outlook for the better.

Rest in Paradise, Junior. You're in a better place now. You'll be in Canton (Pro Football Hall of Fame) soon enough, where you will be immortalized with the rest of the NFL greats.

Photos found on Google, no copyright infringement intended

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