Junior Seau Dead Cops Suspect Suicide

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??

Um.. who shoots themselves in the chest?

the thinking going around these nets is, he did it so they could check his brain for injury's via football. Yet I read no note so we may never know.

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Seau Family
We're NOT Blaming NFL
for Junior's Death

                 Junior Seau's family does NOT believe the NFL legend shot himself in the chest to spare his brain ... TMZ has learned.

Seau family sources tell us ... Junior never complained about concussion-related medical problems and didn't appear to be suffering from depression.

We're told Seau never really spoke about the ongoing legal battle between the NFL and retired players who claim the league concealed critical information about the long-term effects of concussions.

One family source was adamant ... if Junior was passionate about preserving his brain, he would've mentioned something to his family.  The family is still unsure why Junior would want to end his own life.

Seau's death instantly drew comparisons to the death of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson -- who left a suicide note explaining he shot himself in the chest because he wanted his brain to be sent to the "NFL brain bank" for study.

http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/03/junior-seau-nfl-brain/

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Junior Seau dies at 43

    "For four seasons, after every game he played, he would always find me in the locker room just to give me a big hug and squeeze tighter than anyone I remember. It was one of the many things I enjoyed about him," Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement. "He was passionate about football and always spoke with great conviction. He may have been one of the most charismatic Patriots players in franchise history. I loved listening to him when he addressed an audience. I will never forget presenting him with his AFC Championship ring at Seau's Restaurant in San Diego before our game against the Chargers in 2008. It was a memorable moment shared by both Patriots and Chargers fans, who that day celebrated pregame together as Junior Seau fans. He was beloved in his hometown of San Diego and quickly became a fan favorite in New England.

"Today, the fans of the teams for which Junior played -- San Diego, Miami and New England -- lost more than a legendary football player. We lost our 'Buddy.' "

Seau's last season was 2009 and last fall, finally retired for good, he was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

"Twenty years, to be part of this kind of fraternity, to be able to go out and play the game that you love, and all the lessons and the friends and acquaintances which you meet along the way, you can't be in a better arena," Seau said in August.

More than 100 people gathered outside of Seau's home, only hours after he was found dead. Families showed up with flowers and fans wearing Chargers jerseys waited to get news.

Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres held a moment of silence for Seau before their game Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Several hours after Seau was found, his body was loaded onto a medical examiner's van and taken away as fans snapped pictures and raised their hands in the air as if in prayer.

Family friend Priscilla Sanga said about 50 friends and family members gathered in the garage where Seau's body lay on a gurney and they had the opportunity to say goodbye.

"Everybody got to see Junior before they took him away," Sanga said. "He looked so peaceful and cold. It was disbelief. We all touched him and kissed him."                 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7882750/junior-seau-former-san-diego-charger-found-dead-cops-probe-suicide

 

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     Junior Seau death raises questions                 

Although Junior Seau was never listed on an NFL injury report as having had a concussion, those close to him say he admitted to having experienced multiple head injuries.

   Seau died of gunshot wound to the chest Wednesday, and his death is being investigated as a suicide. No conclusive medical connection has been made between head injuries and suicide, but Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has asked to study Seau's brain, Sports Illustrated reported on Thursday.

The center studied the brain of former NFL player Dave Duerson, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest last year and asked that his brain be studied. BU concluded that he suffered from degenerative disease of the brain from repeated head trauma, which can lead to depression.

When reached by ESPN.com, Gina Digravio, manager of media relations at Boston University Medical Center, said that the center never discusses what brains they are studying or what brains they are interested in studying.

Gina Seau said her ex-husband did sustain concussions during his nearly 20-year NFL career.

"Of course he had. He always bounced back and kept on playing," she said in a phone interview. "He's a warrior. That didn't stop him. I don't know what football player hasn't. It's not ballet. It's part of the game."

Gina Seau said she didn't know if the effects of concussions contributed to Seau's death.

"We have no clues whatsoever. We're as stunned and shocked as anyone else. We're horribly saddened. We miss him and we'll always love him," she said.                             

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7886162/report-boston-university-seeking-study-junior-seau-brain

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Coroner to reveal 'manner' of Junior Seau's death

                      Los Angeles (CNN) -- Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau sent text messages to his ex-wife and their three children "expressing love for each one of them," hours before apparently taking his own life, his pastor told CNN on Thursday.

"They said simply 'I love you.' " pastor Shawn Mitchell said. "They actually responded back to him with 'Love you too, Dad.' "

The coroner's finding on the "cause and manner" of Seau's death could be released Thursday afternoon, but it may be weeks or months before investigators conclude what led up to what they suspect was a suicide.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/sport/nfl-seau-autopsy/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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Football Under Fire in Wake of Seau Death

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Junior Seau. Junior Seau's suicide. I met Junior Seau just one time. It was one year at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Golf Tournament. Dean Spanos, the Chargers owner, was playing in the tournament and I was playing with Fuzzy Zoeller and his crew that year. And we all had dinner one night after that day's round.  And Junior Seau was everything everybody is saying about him. He was uplifting, he was funny, he was in a great mood.  He was kind of in my face humorously over politics.

He was a big believer in the government doing as much it could to help the poor and this kind of thing.  He was just one of these people you like being around. So, now, how to explain the suicide? I have to tell you, I am amazed.  Every channel I go to there's either a sports doctor or a psychiatrist or somebody explaining, "It has to have been all the concussions from playing in the NFL! It just had to be. There can't be any other reason."  Well, I did hear one other reason, that he just couldn't adjust to not being in the spotlight, to not being on stage.

The football field's a huge stage and he was a big star. He just could not adjust to being a comparative nobody.  He didn't leave a note so nobody knows.  Here's Sanjay Gupta. He was on CNN so nobody heard it. That's why I want to play you this one.  He was on Anderson Cooper 210 last night, which nobody saw.  So I have to play the sound bite here for you.  Anderson Cooper said, "Sanjay, several NFL players have committed suicide in recent years. Brain-related injuries they sustain while playing have been blamed.

"It's impossible to know what was going on in Junior Seau's mind at this point..." So, "impossible to know." It's impossible to know, but still: What was going on in his mind? It's impossible to know, Sanjay! We all know it's impossible to know, but is it possible? Even though it's impossible to know, "is it possible that past head traumas could have played a role in Seau's taking his own life?"  It's "impossible to know what was going on in his mind," but nevertheless I want you to answer the question of why he did it.

GUPTA:  We have enough evidence to say, "Yes," because you're starting to see, uh, a pattern of exactly what you're describing here, Anderson. This idea that the previous blows to the head -- uh, trauma, for example, sustained on a football field -- can accumulate over time and lead to something known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, CTE.  Dave Duerson. You remember, you and I talked about him in 2011. He shot himself in the chest as well.  It's a very unusual way -- uh, a rare way -- for one to commit suicide and just hard to talk about. But in Duerson's case he had left that note that Paul was sort of alluding to saying, "I shot myself in the chest.  I'd like my brain to be studied."  Duerson's brain was studied and in fact he did have exactly what he was concerned about: CTE.  That was confirmed, you know, when they studied his brain.

RUSH:  Now, Seau did not leave a note asking for his brain to be studied.  Already doctors are asking for the brain of Seau to study it. But how many of you laughed at me when I told you some months ago that maybe not in our lifetimes (but it's gonna be close) somebody is seriously going to suggest banning the game of football.  You can see we're heading in that direction.  Now, every suicide is due to the game. "The game is killing people!" That's already been established here.  So what's next, folks, with liberals in charge?

END TRANSCRIPT

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/05/03/football_under_fire_in_wake_of_seau_death

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Seau's death ruled a suicide

    SAN DIEGO—Junior Seau's death has been ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner's office.

An autopsy Thursday confirmed that the former NFL linebacker died of a gunshot wound to the chest, the medical examiner's office said. The office said further details would be released in a final investigative report, which may take up to 90 days to complete.

Officials said they were awaiting a decision by the family on whether to turn over Seau's brain to unidentified outside researchers for study.

Seau died Wednesday in his home in suburban Oceanside.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-05-03/junior-seau-suicide-medical-examiner-ruling-san-diego-chargers-linebacker#ixzz1tutQWZBh
                   

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Junior Seau family: Brain study OK

                  Junior Seau's family will allow researchers to study his brain for signs he was suffering from damage done by concussions sustained during his 20-year NFL career, Chargers team chaplain Shawn Mitchell has told the Los Angeles Times.

The San Diego County medical examiner ruled Seau's death a suicide on Thursday, a day after the former linebacker was found dead at his home with a gunshot wound to the chest.

"The family was considering this almost from the beginning, but they didn't want to make any emotional decisions," Mitchell told the Times on Thursday night. "And when they came to a joint decision that absolutely this was the best thing, it was a natural occurrence for the Seau family to go forward."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7889467/junior-seau-family-allow-concussion-study-brain

[GeronL]

Anyone blaming this on football is stupid, there is no evidence supporting that yet.

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Junior Seau's family talks to elders about brain study

   Los Angeles (CNN) -- A decision on if researchers can study Junior Seau's brain for clues to the NFL veteran's suicide will wait until his family meets with elders from their Samoan culture, his family said Monday.

Seau, 43, died of a gunshot wound at his Oceanside, California, home wound last week in what the coroner concluded was a suicide.

There has been speculation about whether repeated hits to his head over his 20-year pro football career could have been a contributing factor.

Seau's parents, who are from the island of Aunu'u, American Samoa, were meeting Monday with Samoan elders, according to Shawn Mitchell, who was Seau's pastor.

"The Seau family is currently revisiting several important family decisions and placing them on hold in order to confer with their elders," a family statement said. "All possibilities are being considered, but none will be acted upon until the Seaus arrive at an agreed upon direction."                           

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/07/sport/nfl-seau-brain-study/index.html?hpt=hp_t3