The loss of this great athlete, and, by all accounts, exemplary human being is tragic - and doubly so since it gives ammunition to the “zero tolerance for risk”, “wrap in cotton cradle-to-the-grave” proponents...
-—Seau was 43 when he took his life, barely three years after the end of a 20-year NFL career in which he was a 12-time Pro Bowl selection.——
My guess is post-retirement depression (which usually manifests itself in a new career of drug-dealing). His first suicide attempt came the year after he retired.
I heard Fred Smerlas talk about the phenomenon this morning.
If I were trying to ruin America...I’d blame the NFL for every former player’s suicide.
How long ago was he divorced and what role does the divorce play in the suicide? Seems that would be a far more proximate cause than football.
(Please note that concussions do need to be watched out for, and I believe the NFL is doing a better job of that. I don’t believe that concussions lead directly to suicide for these guys who have everything else going for them though)
And why did he love the game? And why was he so good at it? Yah, he was one tough SOB willing to give it as much as take it. Pro football is not for the faint of heart, but if they change it so that it is for the faint of heart in order to try and prevent CTE....well...guys like Seau probably won't want to play it, and a lot of fans won't want to watch it.
First — it’s very sad to hear of his death. He seemed like a good guy.
Second — who thinks they can repeatedly hit their head on something(s) and come out ok afterward? Esp. when it happens for weeks on end, year after year. It does not take ‘studies’ to figure out that, gee, multiple concussions can’t be good for brain matter.
So, on the one hand: lots of money, fame, etc. On the other, brain damage. I think NFL players picked their poison.
Flag football ... is that where this is going?
I've been a NFL season ticket holder for 35 years ... it's a rough game & players that make it to the NFL are handsomely rewarded. Some players walk away disabled ... that's the risk they take going in ... and given the opportunity to start their football career over again most would follow that same path.
I have no clue if his suicide was related to his years of playing football or not, but I do know playing that video of his mother over & over again is unnecessary and cruel. I can understand airing it once, maybe twice. Other than that, over the top.
May he rest in peace. By all accounts he was a good man who helped others, but could not reach out for his own help.
The fact that they can't handle life afterwards due to personal weakness is not the fault of the game...
Jr's entire career was when Steroid use was rampant at all levels, even in High School. So besides the naturally occurring brain trauma from playing what about an added connection like 'Steroid withdrawal'?
You can just tell by looking at these ex-players that they were 'juiced' while playing as a couple years after retiring they're body mass is like 40% of what it was. That just doesn't happen and just isn't normal.
And I mean a connection to all Pro players who commit suicide, not just in the NFL. That connection should be looked at too. Not just the knocks to the head causing depression. After all we do know that 'Roid Rage' exists. That can't be the only effect it has on the brain.
(I just looked at Wiki. Depression can, or MAY, be caused by Steroid use, but the study was 'inconclusive'.)
We may never know for sure, but it is possible his demons were not caused by football.