What the what? Junior Seau Committed Suicide

[RosettaStoned]

I'm not a millionaire like Junior, but I still think my life is worth living, sorry.

None of us agree. Please die.

[RosettaStoned]

Before somebody says I'm trolling, I'm not. I really do want him to die.

[GoChargers]

It was pretty blatant the guy needed help, and his family didn't do shit.

How the fuck would you know?

If he played for the Broncos or starred in a batman film you'd probably be hysterical right now. Get a clue

[RosettaStoned]

Ray Easterling killed himself like two weeks ago.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/sports/football/ray-easterling-of-atlantas-grits-blitz-dies-at-62.html?_r=1

[MVPete]

Thankfully I don't have TBI or CTE or any of those serious head injuries related to jarring of the brain. A few of my friends suffer from it and they have told me how awful it is. I have suffered from serious depression though, and it makes it tough to do anything.... even sleep. It makes your head feel like a 50 lb weight and you can't get rid of it. I feel so bad for these guys, I have no doubt Seau was dealing most likely with a combination of both and it just made things so tough for him. It's amazing that he could go out and public and put that famous smile of his on and make everyone totally unaware of it. It's sad but his death is going to push this issue to the forefront and hopefully won't go away till we get the answers we want on addressing the issues involving on the field and off the field issues for player safety.

[BrntO4Life]

Deadspin posted an awesome reader story about Seau...

http://deadspin.com/5907297/the-night-junior-seau-picked-up-a-marine-captains-tab-and-serenaded-bar-patrons-with-a-ukulele

An email arrived this morning from Albert Flores Jr., a U.S. Marine Corps captain who lives in Sneads Ferry, N.C. It's about a chance encounter Flores had last year in a Southern California bar with Junior Seau, the former Chargers and Patriots linebacker who died yesterday of a suspected suicide. This is the email in its entirety, with slight edits made for publication:

On my final day of a business trip last year to the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., I was walking along the Oceanside Harbor in search of a place to eat and have a few beers. In the mood for something simple I had hoped to find a small bar that served food and was not too crowded. I came across exactly that—a small bar with maybe six customers inside. Sitting next to me at the bar were three large men of Samoan decent who were laughing and having a good time with the bartender. I wasn't sure at first, but then after a double-take it clicked in my head that I was sitting with Junior Seau. He was a monster of a man, wearing a ball cap and all smiles. I couldn't believe that I was sitting next to one of my favorite football players growing up as a kid. The same linebacker that I impersonated for years on all my football video games.

After a few minutes, the older of the three Samoan men had asked what I was up to in Oceanside and I had told him that I was a Captain in the Marines headed back to my home station at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Junior Seau interrupted and said, "Wow, man. I really admire what you do. You guys are real heroes." Starstruck for a moment, I didn't know how to respond. Did one of my childhood heroes really just call me a hero? He did indeed, and refused to let me pay for my dinner or any more drinks for the night. I was surprised to find out that Junior Seau was not only a former member of the Patriots, he was an American patriot.

Junior then introduced me to the other two men sitting with him, his cousin and his uncle. I couldn't believe how sincerely interested Junior and his family were about my military service. They asked about helicopters, machine guns, parachuting and even expressed gratitude towards military families and specifically spouses for enduring such hardship during a time of war.

After a couple of hours of talking, Junior then began to brag about his musical talent. That he had sat "first chair" in his high school band and that was something most people didn't know about him. I called him on it and he was up to the challenge. Junior said, "You sit right there, Captain, I'm gonna go to my car and get my ukulele. We're gonna spread some joy around here." I didn't know it at the time, but over the next two hours the way in which I look at football players would be changed forever.

Junior returned to the bar with his Ukulele and started to play. The tune from "Brown-Eyed Girl" was coming from Junior's Ukulele at it was surprisingly good. Then, he started to sing ... and he was amazing. One of the most ferocious tacklers in the history of football was playing a ukulele in an empty bar at 11:00 p.m. and serenading the few that remained. He then started to play some more and his cousin and uncle joined in the chorus. They were a harmonic family full of melodies ... and they were good—real good.

We sat there for another two hours, talking, listening to Junior and his uncle play the ukulele and having a good time. Time and again, Junior thanked me for my service and reminded me how proud he was that his hometown was in the heart of Marine Corps territory, just outside Camp Pendleton. I tried to remind Junior that I was the one that was thankful for the evening. That I was amazed at how real of a person Junior Seau was and not just No. 55 on my television screen on Sunday afternoons. Junior Seau was a man of smiles, laughter, family, respect and he loved his country.

It's troubling to hear of the passing of another great NFL football player at an age so young. But I'm especially sad to hear that it was Junior Seau who had passed. A man who for one evening last year I had the opportunity to meet and come to admire. The day after I met Junior last year, I began to follow his non-football charity exploits and grew to respect him even further.

I hope this story will aid in an attempt to remember not only a linebacker but a fun, loving person as well.

Albert S. Flores Jr.

Everything I've heard about Seau doesn't make him sound like a good dude - he sounded like an amazing individual with a larger capacity than most for caring about the lives of those he doesn't know personally. It's just that much more depressing that the game he loved killed him so quickly and so remorsefully.

I just pray that his brain, once studied, sends shockwaves through the sport and this game really starts to change. I love football so much, but even I am beginning to wonder about being complicit in all of this as a fan of the game...

[EmpireWF]

I'm not a millionaire like Junior, but I still think my life is worth living, sorry.

Why are you thinking about it as though Junior Seau was living the high life at this point and healthy?

His personal life wasn't doing well and his health was almost certainly fucked up royally to the point he considered suicide and wanted his brain studied.

[Goober]

How the fuck would you know?

If he played for the Broncos or starred in a batman film you'd probably be hysterical right now. Get a clue

Wrong, zero fucks were given when Kenny McKinley offed himself.

[BrntO4Life]

Wrong, zero fucks were given when Kenny McKinley offed himself.

Oh, so you're a heartless, misguided piece of shit then? Okay, glad that's settled.

Now move along so the rest of us can have an actual conversation that doesn't involve adolescent, knee-jerk idiocy.

[Cornelius]

No lulz to be found in that post.

I would love to hear from the dopes who think Gregg Williams offereing money for intentional head shots was not a major issue.

First off, RIP Junior. Dude was a great player.

Secondly, FUCK YOU! How long did Seau play? Guy had to play for 20 or so years, bound to be more head injuries in that time than most. Also, typical ego fuck you are, you have to post this shit in this thread.

[Warner2BruceTD]

First off, RIP Junior. Dude was a great player.

Secondly, FUCK YOU! How long did Seau play? Guy had to play for 20 or so years, bound to be more head injuries in that time than most. Also, typical ego fuck you are, you have to post this shit in this thread.

No shock you are offended I brought it back up, because you're one of the dipshits who can not see the forest through the trees, and thinks putting bounties on people's heads is not much of an issue.

[Cornelius]

No shock you are offended I brought it back up, because you're one of the dipshits who can not see the forest through the trees, and thinks putting bounties on people's heads is not much of an issue.

Am I? No shock you have no idea what I think. I think bounties are stupid and not needed. I said that I think regardless of bounties, players on the field try to kill each other. Glad you understand me so well though. Forest for the trees sounds like you not seeing who gives a shit about your giant faggoty ego. Pizza, pizza, bitch.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Gary Plummer, a former linebacker, projects LINEBACKERS suffer from at least 5 low grade concussions per game. Whether you believe it or not is up for debate...IMO, its probably a real number. That would put Seau's total concussions at 1,500+ over his 20 years in the NFL.

Even if that number is off greatly, it just shows how crazy the game has become. He wasn't diagnosed with or held out of any time for a concussion in his career reportedly...not once.

Just like the Benoit incident lead Nowinski getting involved with the Sports Legacy Institute and the issues of head trauma and lifestyle in pro wrestling was examined at great length and debate and science came in and backed up the enormity of the issue showing the extreme effects of brain trauma in that arena...with Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling, and now Seau, this country is really going to dive deep into this. There is no doubt this is just a major issue in contact sports going forward. These results are extreme, but cases like Jim McMahon's are not where the can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago and just suffers from difficulties day-to-day.

Very interested to see the results of Seau's brain scans.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Am I? No shock you have no idea what I think. I think bounties are stupid and not needed. I said that I think regardless of bounties, players on the field try to kill each other. Glad you understand me so well though. Forest for the trees sounds like you not seeing who gives a shit about your giant faggoty ego. Pizza, pizza, bitch.

This made me laugh.

W2B works at Little Caesars?

[Warner2BruceTD]

Am I? No shock you have no idea what I think. I think bounties are stupid and not needed. I said that I think regardless of bounties, players on the field try to kill each other. Glad you understand me so well though. Forest for the trees sounds like you not seeing who gives a shit about your giant faggoty ego. Pizza, pizza, bitch.

Looks like you give a shit, considering you go out of your way in multiple threads to point it out.

Don't be mad i'm always right, cunt face. My offer for free pizza still stands. I've got a Hot 'n Ready all ready for you.