OT: Junior Seau dead?
Cops in Oceanside, CA are investigating a possible shooting involving former NFL star Junior Seau ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.
We spoke with an investigator in the coroner's office .. who told us they got a call to respond to the scene ... though the details surrounding the situation are still unclear.
Cops are currently at a residence where 43-year-old Junior is believed to be staying.
People in law enforcement are telling us Junior Seau is dead ... but we are unable to confirm that right now.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/02/junior-seau-shooting-police/#.T6F7KlK_tf8
Edit: Seau's death has been confirmed via multiple news sources. Here's the LA Times article...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/junior-seau-dead-gunshot-…
Apparently he shot himself in the head local news is suspecting. Very sad and breaks my heart, so many people I care and love are devestated by this news.
RIP Junior
He actually shot himself in the chest, apparently in order to preserve his brain, similar to Duerson.
Reports are saying he shot himself in the chest to preserve his brain for study.
Suicide suspected. Thoughts and prayers to his family.
So sad, another ex-pro lost to suicide.
Reported as self inflicted gunshot wound. Wow. So sad.
Wow. Sad. I hope that's not true.
Wow, that's sad. We'll see what this story eventually entails... But I really liked that guy, at least as a football player. He seemed like a quality human being, too, although you never can tell... If nothing else, he was a great, great football player.
This also could be another case where a former NFL player might have had deep depression and maybe brain damage.
Cases like this one keeps coming up.
Very, very sad.
Any non-TMZ link?
Very sad if true
Still breaking. I know they are a gossip website but TMZ seems to have the best sources of any organization in southern CA. I think they have half the cops, the entire coroner’s office and most of the hotel staff in southern CA on the payroll.
http://twitter.com/DufresneLATimes/statuses/197756382890569728
San Diego Union Trib now confimring Seau death, possibly suicide. awful.
it's about to break from san diego local websites. it's true. sad, shocking, and true.
[edit] link: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Police-Junior-Seau-Home-Report--1…
I liked that guy. Way too young to die. I'm interested to learn how he came to this point (if true).
I hope it's not true. But, I wonder if he shot himself in the chest...
According to reports, it was in the chest. Presumably for the same reason as you are hinting at; To leave his brain intact for examination on the effects of NFL players and head trauma.
It's impossible to say anything good can come from such a horrible, tragic event, but if nothing else, I hope his donation to the study helps prevent this type of thing from occuring in the future.
Was coming here to ask someone to post this. As of 15 minutes ago until now, people are all confirming that this is a true story. Very sad to hear. He seemed like a really good guy, and he was an excellent football player. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this tragic time.
The story is showing up as "breaking news" on the cbssports.com website.
This is sad, sad news. I suspect CTE here; Seau used to hit really hard, and nobody gets physical impunity.
Very sad. I grew up watching football in the early 2000's, he was a prominent linebacker for the Chargers and Patriots. Great player, sad to hear about this.
RIP Junior Seau
So terribly sad. My best friend growing up did the same a couple of years ago. He was a Dr and in the span of six months had his wife leave him (and take his kids) for another guy and then two DUI's in a short period of time which put his medical license in doubt. Next I heard he was missing and then a few months later was found out in the fields behind his home. I've always wondered if there was something i could've done or said (we had fallen out of touch the last couple of years) to help him. But i'll never know.
RIP Jr.
My cousin's son, who was 18, died of a drug overdose a couple of years ago. Could we as a family have done something different? Probably, but who knows? We could have somehow accidentally made things worse if we did something different, too. Ultimately you can't stop people from being self-destructive. Somebody who really wants to die is going to succeed, and somebody who really wants to use is going to succeed too.
It seems like a disproportionate amount of them come to bad and early ends after they retire...I really hope this isn't true.
Seems to be a relatively reputable source on these topics, especially in SoCal. CBS and SI writers are retweeting the reports which means they believe in their validity.
Sad day for the NFL, for the Chargers organization, and for San Diego's community. Junior was born and raised in the area.
I would guess that CTE had a strong impact on what happend to him today, just like Dave Duerson. I'm not saying that as the cause, but it has been a growing problem for football players. 20+ years of taking hits to the head will make life hell.
And unfortunately instances like this give Martin Gladwell a lot of credence when he says that football should be banned.
RIP Jr.
Malcolm.
Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy football, I agree with Gladwell. I know I would never let my son play football. Unless some big strides are made in safety in football, I wouldn't be surprised if the sport dies off sometime in the next several decades.
Realistically, the only way to change the game itself enough to the point in which the risk of brain injury is virtually eliminated would be to play two-hand touch. Hopefully though, advances in stem cell treatments and gene therapy in the coming years will eventually provide the necessary treatment so the risk of neurodegenerative diseases won't be such a problem.
This is an excellent point. I don't mean to make light of the issue, nor of Mr. Seau's (or others' deaths). But if you love football, whether or not you play it, you might make an enormous difference in the field of neurobiology. The Leaders and Best.
Thoughts and prayers go out to the Seau family. Very sad. I remember watching that guy in the league and I even remember the episode of the show "The Jersey" with him in it I believe.
He won't be around to see himself get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shame.
It was an honor to watch him play during the last few years of his career with the Pats. Even though his skills and explosiveness had mostly left him you could tell he loved the game and cared deeply about winning and helping his younger and less experienced teammates. I always felt like he was having trouble coming to terms with the end of his career and I assumed he would get involved in coaching just to be around the game. This is really such a huge tragedy and loss for the football community.
So sad. I dont know if it would be worse to know that he was killed by an intruder or by suicide. I always really liked the guy, he seemed like a class act. Really unfortunate event.
One guy died in an alcohol related (at least according to one site I found) car wreck (at 28), another in a commercial plane crash, one was struck by lightning, one OD'd, and three died of heart disease/attack. Now Seau.
A lot of plain bad luck involved along with the self-destructive stuff, and really nothing before now that looks like it has anything to do with head trauma (the guy who OD's was suspended for drug use in his mid-20's).
If it's in fact a suicide, and he shot himself in the chest, he wants his brain analyzed.
Folks - football has a serious, serious problem staring itself in the face.
Wow, is that right? Shot himself in the chest so he can have his brain analyzed? That's pretty darn amazing for someone that upset to do something so smart and self-less.
On a related note, I know the military uses changes in suicide rates as one way to assess the stress on soldiers in battlefield situations. When you see news about the suicide rate increasing, senior officials take note and start asking how to ease overseas tours. I wonder if the NFL tracks this kind of thing as well (albeit on a smaller sample size basis).
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/junior-seau-dead-gunshot-wound.html
EDIT: TMZ is reporting that Seau did do the same thing as Duerson, so it's unclear.
Left behind three kids. Selfless indeed.
Touche. I was describing the selflessness in a vacuum and only referencing the shot in the chest. Obviously this is devistating to the family that is left behind and I didn't mean to make light of that. But I think you already know that and were just being argumentative.
No, I just can't view selfessness in a vacuum I suppose. Committing suicide and leaving behind 3 children is selfish, regardless of whether the shot was to the chest or head. His brain could have been analyzed after a natural death when that time came if he had been concerned about that.
Okay, you win. But what you are saying was a given in this whole discussion. No one is saying suicide was a selfless or responsible thing to do. Obviously not.
Perhaps he was already unable to be a father to his children due to extreme depression and early onset demetia, brought on by having the brain of an 80 year old man?
Perhaps he wanted to go out his own terms, rather than having to spend the last 30-40 years of his life as a vegetable, where he would not only be incapable of fathering his children, he would be a financial burden on them as well?
You clearly have so much information on what his quality of life was like and how old his brain was, you must be his neurologist. Should you be breaking doctor/client privilige sharing all of your inside info? HIPPA laws can be pretty tough on you....