Junior Seau, Dead at Age 43

**bluestree** · 05-03-2012, 03:12 PM

Saw sportswriter Dave Zirin on the tube claim that in his entire career Junior never left the field for even a play because his 'bell was rung'. If that's true it really defies the odds. Junior played with a high motor and was involved in so many more collisions than even his fellow linebackers, and Wiley's comments bear that out. He took more snaps at linebacker than anyone save Clay Matthews. Zirin also said the average baseball player lives to 79, while the average football player lives to 58.
Frzz is on to something, I'm afraid. And Junior Seau might be the tip of the iceberg football crashes into headlong in the next few years. Not to mention the already pending lawsuit. Three former NFL players have commited suicide in the last fifteen months. Seau's death will certainly intensify the scrutiny that football is under going forward.
But mostly, we just lost a really good dude.

**packa7x** · 05-03-2012, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by wxwax

Driving off a cliff.

Good point.

**Polishguy00** · 05-03-2012, 03:40 PM

Another lawsuit filed today by 100+ players today. I believe the count is around 1,200 players involved now.

"Hey Roger, why does that elephant keep following us around?"

**packa7x** · 05-03-2012, 03:53 PM

If the NFL gets nailed for this concussion stuff, Rog can thank Paul Tagliabue and his head doctor Ira Casson...

**wxwax** · 05-03-2012, 03:56 PM

Troubling quote from Seau, to Jim Trotter of SI.

"In March, we spoke about the perception that commissioner Roger Goodell was making the game too soft with his enhanced enforcement of player safety rules. “It has to happen,” he said. “Those who are saying the game is changing for the worse, well, they don’t have a father who can’t remember his name because of the game. I’m pretty sure if everybody had to wake with their dad not knowing his name, not knowing his kids’ name, not being able to function at a normal rate after football, they would understand that the game needs to change. If it doesn’t, there are going to be more players, more great players being affected by the things that we know of and aren’t changing. That’s not right.”"

**wxwax** · 05-04-2012, 01:42 PM

In what must have been a painful decision, Seau's family has donated his brain to research. I'd hoped they might I applaud them.

**Docta** · 05-05-2012, 05:28 AM

“When I was a [freshman] in HS, Junior Seau worked the Jay Fielder Football camp and at the end of one of the days he challenged anyone to a 1 on 1.

“Being one of the ‘big’ kids, I was volunteered by my buddies and went up in front of the whole camp to face this monster of a man. Shaking in my cleats, he gave me a wink before a coach gave the cadence. He let me pancake him. And he sold it too.

“I can’t even tell you how good I felt at that moment; it changed me forever. The whole camp cheered for me, a chubby kid that didn’t know if he even liked football. From then on I was addicted. All thanks 2 this 10 time all-pro that felt like making some snot-nosed kid’s day.

“Doesn’t seem like much but it meant a lot to me. Sorry for the essay just had to share. RIP Junior I’ll never forget what you did for me.”

— Eric Olsen

**Trumpetbdw** · 05-05-2012, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by Docta

“When I was a [freshman] in HS, Junior Seau worked the Jay Fiedler Football camp and at the end of one of the days he challenged anyone to a 1 on 1.

“Being one of the ‘big’ kids, I was volunteered by my buddies and went up in front of the whole camp to face this monster of a man. Shaking in my cleats, he gave me a wink before a coach gave the cadence. He let me pancake him. And he sold it too.

“I can’t even tell you how good I felt at that moment; it changed me forever. The whole camp cheered for me, a chubby kid that didn’t know if he even liked football. From then on I was addicted. All thanks 2 this 10 time all-pro that felt like making some snot-nosed kid’s day.

“Doesn’t seem like much but it meant a lot to me. Sorry for the essay just had to share. RIP Junior I’ll never forget what you did for me.”

— Eric Olsen

Now THAT is awesome.

**FrzzerBwler** · 05-05-2012, 10:24 AM

Docta thanks for the story.

**BuckeyeRidley** · 05-05-2012, 12:52 PM

Very, Very Sad story. I always believed that the car wreck he was in a few years ago was a suicide attempt & I was having Faith that he was going to be alright in all phases of life after that. There was another former NFL Player who committed suicide recently & this current era of Alumni players doing this & the study of head trauma in the NFL are pivotal. I want the game to be it's physical-self but I also want the NFL to help players to adjust to life after the game. The NFL Network has a Development Program for players that are newly & previously retired & that's part of it. There needs to be Men who used to play the game that are with the NFL who are reaching out to guys in various ways to ensure they are alright. When players leave, I sense it's like they've thrown you out. Not Everyone speaks up about their issues & won't either. Hopefully the NFL will have guys who will step in proactively to ensure that Men are living productive lives after the game. It's corny & cheesy to some but It's the Truth. Too many Men on the Radio this week expressed the feeling of Emptiness when the game is over. I feel like there needs to be a transitional period right after players retire. If there is one, they need to ensure it's heavily promoted & that the NFLPA makes it their duty to Constantly Promote it to the Men so they know about it & that the NFLPA follows through to it.