Retired NFL Linebacker Junior Seau Dead of Apparent Suicide

The NFL great was found this morning inside a bedroom in his home, dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. He was 43.

Reports say that he shot himself in the chest so his brain could be examined for signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a trauma induced disease common to NFL players.

The Chargers issued the following statement:

Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now…We ask everyone to stop what they’re doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family.

Seau was always one of my favorite players (even after he left Miami to play for the hated Patriots). Always had that boyish grin, even after he planted a receiver or running back in the turf. He lived not far from where my family lives in Oceanside, California and was a “local hero” in that area. This is sad news for NFL fans. He was always one of the good guys in the NFL.