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News & ArtsWednesday, May 2, 2012
Death / Sports Retired NFL Star Junior Seau Dead at 43 of Apparent Suicide
Posted by Goldy on Wed, May 2, 2012 at 12:34 PM
Former NFL great Junior Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, was found dead in his Oceanside California home today, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 43.
Not a good news day for the NFL.
If Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest, it is similar to the way former Chicago Bears great Dave Duerson ended his life. Duerson shot himself in the chest on February 17 — the method used so that his brain could be examined for symptoms of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a trauma-induced disease common to NFL players and others who have received repeated blows to the head.
Seau is now the eighth member of the Chargers 1994 Super Bowl losing team to die, all of them obviously prematurely.
2
Time for the NFL (and the NHL) to take a serious look at reducing protective pads with the exception of helmets. It would result in more broken bones, but would reduce players willingness to launch themselves into eachother and that would in turn reduce head injuries. If they don't address this, there will be (more) blood on their hands. Belak, Boogaard, Rypien, Seau, Easterling, Duerson, even T.O. had reported suicide attempts.
3
This is so sad.
Shooting yourself in the chest is a pretty hardcore way to go out. There's no guarantee it'll be an quick lights-out. I mean, I understand his motivation for doing it that way, but damn...
Shooting yourself in the chest is a pretty hardcore way to go out. There's no guarantee it'll be an quick lights-out. I mean, I understand his motivation for doing it that way, but damn...
4
Disband the NFL and NHL. Ban high school and junior high football and hockey. There are better ways to spend your time. Plus, stupid people won't be rewarded by getting coaching jobs. Everybody wins!
6
@4
Why don't we put pads on the kids?
Helmets, head gear and mouth pieces!
Then we could pad the floor and walls,
Put cameras inside bathroom stalls
We make sure only nice bands play,
Make every show a matinee
Teach kids to be all they can be,
And we could sing my country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
Why don't we put pads on the kids?
Helmets, head gear and mouth pieces!
Then we could pad the floor and walls,
Put cameras inside bathroom stalls
We make sure only nice bands play,
Make every show a matinee
Teach kids to be all they can be,
And we could sing my country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty
7
Junior Seau RIP.
I just read the piece before I saw Goldy's posting. Like @ 1, I was astonished at the last sentence. That team must be reeling.
I just read the piece before I saw Goldy's posting. Like @ 1, I was astonished at the last sentence. That team must be reeling.
8
Almost all NFL linemen die young; I think the average age is 54. The Chargers are a little extreme but not by that much. We concentrate really hard on ignoring what we do to our heroes.
9
So sad! And surprising! I remember how Junior Seau was one of the marquee NFL players, the shining star of the Chargers Super Bowl team that was destroyed by the 49ers. So much energy and drive back then. It's shocking to hear of this ending for him.
10
Yup, sad. Odd though that the article states that "IF" he shot himself in the chest... I mean, it obviously would be a telling and dramatic element if so, but is there any reason at all to think that he did? Would seem to be pretty clumsy reporting if not.
12
@10: Did you read the story? His girlfriend found him with a gunshot wound to the chest. The police received a call regarding a possible suicide.
Seems like not a huge leap to say "If Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest...."
Seems like not a huge leap to say "If Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest...."
13
If he commited suicide then it was his time to check out. His choice to make. A shot to the heart is a pretty damn sure way to die so he knew what he was doing. A lot of people don't think their lives are worth the pain anymore. And very few ever know the highs of success that he knew. Oceanside is a great place to live. It's not the slums so many live lives of misery in.
14
Thanks @ 10. Thought I read the article. Perhaps my reading compreshension skills ain't what they once was.
Radiolab did a great piece on suicide a while ago, more or less expounding on the thoughts from @ 13 there. Basically weighing it as a economic model in which the pain & cost of life outweigh the fear of death, rendering it a logical choice. Sad, nevertheless.
Radiolab did a great piece on suicide a while ago, more or less expounding on the thoughts from @ 13 there. Basically weighing it as a economic model in which the pain & cost of life outweigh the fear of death, rendering it a logical choice. Sad, nevertheless.
16
"Plus, stupid people won't be rewarded by getting coaching jobs."
lmao for real if you believe NFL and college coaches are generally stupid
lmao for real if you believe NFL and college coaches are generally stupid
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