RIP

UPDATE

NFL legend Junior Seau was found dead in his home in Oceanside, CA ... and cops are investigating a shooting ... multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Seau was 43-years-old ... and leaves behind 3 kids and an ex-wife.

Cops are currently at Seau's home -- located in San Diego County -- and were seen talking with a man who was inside the house and appeared distraught.

We're told Seau sent text messages to his ex-wife and 3 kids yesterday saying, "Love you." We're told they all responded and didn't suspect anything was wrong.

Sources close to Seau tell us family members didn't see any signs of depression in recent weeks.

Seau was a beast in the NFL -- skyrocketing to fame thanks to his explosive play with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. The USC standout was selected in the first round of the NFL draft in 1990 and played in the league for 20 years.

Seau was involved in a car accident back in 2010 when he drove his SUV off a cliff in Carlsbad, CA hours after he was arrested for allegedly attacking his girlfriend. Seau later said he was not trying to kill himself ... insisting he had fallen asleep at the wheel.



http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/02/junior-seau-shooting-police/#.T6F5dL9xu-1

11:06 AM PDT -- A man just came out of the house appearing extremely distraught ... and he is now talking with law enforcement.

Cops in Oceanside, CA are investigating a possible shooting involving former NFL star Junior Seau ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We spoke with an investigator in the coroner's office .. who told us they got a call to respond to the scene ... though the details surrounding the situation are still unclear.

Cops are currently at a residence where 43-year-old Junior is believed to be staying.

People in law enforcement are telling us Junior Seau is dead ... but we are unable to confirm that right now.

Attempts to reach Seau and Seau's people have been unsuccessful.

Seau was involved in a car accident back in 2010 when he drove his SUV off a cliff in Carlsbad, CA hours after he was arrested for allegedly attacking his girlfriend. Seau later said he was not trying to kill himself ... insisting he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

>Attempts to reach Seau and Seau's people have been
>unsuccessful.
>

>People in law enforcement are telling us Junior Seau is dead ... but we are unable to confirm that right now.

I'm wondering whether he's suffering from the kind of post-playing concussion-charged depression of guys like Dave Duerson or Andre Waters.

This is truly terrible b

.

tragic either way man

but Seau was definitely heavily revered out there

Only people from O'side or Marines really live out there.

.

I am sure he was living in a nicer area of O'side but it's still one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in San Diego County.

.

but now all signs point to suicide.

Regardless, just a sad story.

laid back military/beach town.

You had some small-time wanna-be gangbangers here and there but it was mostly just young hispanic kids and they weren't really on shit, it was known that you didn't want to fuck with Samoans but they mostly kept to themselves anyway

"aw my cuz kicks it with his niece damn. you know how them samoan damus do."

I told him it sounded more like it was suicide but that was his reaction hearing oceanside too

oside been out there tryin to make a name for itself on the map. the assumption was fair. but junior was an oside legend...he'd get the pass anywhere he went around there

These younger guys might not really know who Seau is, plus a lot of Mexican/Latin folks are moving into O'side these days.

a damn shame.

the front desk was behind a pane of bullet-proof glass. that motherfucker had bullet holes in it.

or Encinitas because it is near those communities and by a beach.

Fuck that, I would rather live or spend a day down in IB than O'Side.

ive driven by O-side on the 5 freeway like a million times and always been like 'damn, this sure looks like a nice place i wish i mom and dad could have raised me here'...

maybe not though, lol.

But man, this hurts. Not like this dude. Fuck

RIP to the best of the elite group chosen to wear the '55' jersey at Linebacker U.

This is horrible, thoughts go out to his kids, I can't even imagine what they're going through.

it really made my jaw drop.

that's not right. at all.

this is going to be a black day for the NFL.

http://deadspin.com/5867720/death-is-stalking-the-1994-chargers

• In 1998, LB Doug Miller was struck by lightning while camping in Colorado. CPR was being performed on Miller when he was struck again by a second bolt.

.

_________________________________________________

damn.

*CROCKA*

word booty.

HSUBAKCITS

www.smokingsection.net



http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r9/chowyunskinny/Gold%20Chef/iron_chef.jpg

The combination of head trauma and steroids is vicious...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/football-high/

_________________________________________________________________________

Shit is worse than pro wrestling.

RIP Junior... I always liked him despite not being a fan of his squads.

Tragic...just tragic...

is it bad that i wasnt surprised tho?

Like Dave Duerson. Football is a helluva game.

Thoughts go out to his family and friends. Smh.

IA MANUIA LAU MALAGA.

"CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a trauma-induced disease common to NFL players and others who have received repeated blows to the head."

This along with Dave Duerson ending his life in the same way could be huge if they find similar brain damage. Especially with this pending lawsuit.

Something's definitely going on.

...

my thoughts,

peace.

They showed Junior's mom too. This is surreal

RIP Junior

his mom talking was gut-wrenching.

way too hard right now

Some great insight too, esp at the 6 min mark when he translates his playing demeanor and never asking for help to his off-field one....and how that attitude may have eventually led to today's events.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW8dzJhXs5Q

If this turns out to be brain injury-related, this issue enters a new phase. The league has to be panicking right now.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
** i move away from the mic to breathe in

RIP

RIP

when usually for people who actually carry out the act it's the head, guess that's where the part about wanting his brain to be studied comes in.

and sure enough, when they studied his brain he had CTE

.

.

in this millennium.

than me.

goddamn, this is sad.

in school everyone used to call me junior seau cuz they said i looked and played like him so i always had a connecting and liked dude. he is one of the greats.

dude said Junior and his big brother went on all their recruiting trips together and that Junior used to take him to dinner when DeMarco was at Washington. Dude just keeps saying "Why?" "Why, Junior?"

of asking Junior point-blank in a private moment after the Ring Of Honor ceremony in SD at Junior's restaurant if the car thing was a suicide attempt.

.
<<<<< The Note

I have a feeling that his family wasn't as shocked as others were today but I'm only speculating.

he said he and Junior were neighbors during the period that he was suffering from CTE and having to retire young and that they would discuss concussions during that period. sounded a bit like he and Junior knew that Junior's long-term brain health prognosis was pretty bleak.

union needs to make evaluations mandatory for all retired players

I met him a few times and got to talk with and party with him. You could just see that punch drunk look in his eye when you talked to him.

Damn shame

using the hindsight we now have, how's this for a quote?

---One of the scientists who reviewed the committee's work is equally blunt. "They're basically trying to prepare a defense for when one of these players sues," he says. "They are trying to say that what's done in the NFL is okay because in their studies, it doesn't look like bad things are happening from concussions. But the studies are flawed beyond belief."---

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3644940

this shit makes me sick to my stomach. I'm kinda hoping the class action lawsuit puts some people in the NFL out of business right now.

Today is a sad day. I really feel for his mother, kids and family. He will be missed.

Steve McNair is airing one out to Chris Henry while Junior is about to pop him.

way too soon.

Y'all hug your folks who are going through some things

I'm scared it'll be LT one day and I don't think I'm prepared for that.

as a Raider fan I have lots of memories from games against the bolts. Seau was one of those players you could not hate. Always been a fan. RIP

i had alot of respect for the man as a player, it goes to show despite money, fame,wealth, etc.. that how fraigle a soul truly is and My heart goes out to his family and friends.

this is painful news. he was one of the Greatest to ever play the game IMO. i always enjoyed his energy and attack

....im no expert, but it seems so many of these athlete suicides involve guys who have likely been using steroids and/or hgh for a long time

I don't recall Duerson either but I didn't follow his as closely.

Seau played 268 games over 20 years. That's probably more than enough hitting to explain everything.

I don't think you'd find a doctor that says steroids HELPS the problems, but I don't think you need to look that hard to find a culprit here, either.

in all seriousness, I just tried to look up some links where Taylor Twellman talks about his post-playing career + depression due to CTE and what he's done to recover, but it seems there's tons and I'm not sure which I've read to know what's in them. either way, best account I've read of the trauma and its symptoms are candid interviews with him, I'd encourage all interested to seek them out and take a look at his foundation via @ThinkTaylorORG.

I've done a bit of reading on the topic on various subjects, but it was definitely his first hand accounts that really drove the point home with me about the real demon that lingers behind these injuries.

.....added to the effects from CTE, thats got to be even more pressure on the brain

kids who's brains they have examined, it doesnt look like Steroids are the major factor

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7243606/nfl-players-tony-romo-ronde-barber-rely-new-painkiller-toradol

"Toradol is a wonder drug," says former All-Pro safety Darren Sharper, who retired last year after 14 NFL seasons. "You get a shot in the butt, and within 10 minutes nothing hurts. And that feeling lasts the entire day."

A generation ago, cortisone was the NFL's wonder drug. Today, we know cortisone can lead to tissue damage, bone degeneration and ultimately bone death. Not much is known about Toradol's long-term risks yet, but the drug is banned in several European countries because of concerns about potential gastrointestinal issues such as ulcers and surgical bleeding.

While the long-term effects are unknown, some physicians worry about the short-term problems players ignore. Although Toradol is technically not a numbing agent, many players say they feel diminished sensations when it's in their system. That presents a problem because pain is the brain's way of sending the body a message. In the case of NFL players, that message is: Don't play. Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi, a University of Pennsylvania orthopedist who served as the Eagles team physician from 1995 to 2002, wonders, "You have to be very careful with it -- do drugs like Toradol enable players to play, or do they cause further injury?"

"It does mask pain," says Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber. "But that's the price you pay when you play through injuries."

"We're a commodity," Barber says. "We're useful only when we're on the field."

.

drugs, alcohol, caffeine, traumatic events, whatever can all be considered a source of physiological stress.

would be tough to throw a direct link to CTE

whether seau was a pill popper, a booze hound or a juice head the end result was most likely gonna be the same.

.

talking about how when Seau was at USC, he would show up to QB and WR only workouts to cover the WR's, while he was barefoot, just to learn more about the offensive side of the ball.

Rog and Paul gonna be deposed in the next 18 months and it is NOT gonna be pretty. Even if they're not liable, they're gonna take a nasty p.r. hit.

I gots no problems with that. Shoulda taken care of the ex-players when they came to you like grown men.

Now, you gets the benefits of no doubts.

SC needs to retire 55, do something in his honor at the opener as well.

growing up in san diego that dude was like superman, straight up. this shit hurts, RIP

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/many-remember-seau-kind-giving-funny-man-205818101.html


Many remember Seau as kind, giving, funny man
By Michael Krumboltz | Shutdown Corner – 18 hours ago


Junior Seau's apparent suicide has left his fans shocked and heartbroken. And Junior had many fans. In the wake of his death Wednesday, stories have surfaced from folks who were forever changed by Seau's compassion and charisma.

Albert Flores Jr., a U.S. Marine Corps captain, sent in his Seau moment to sports blog Deadspin. Flores was in a Southern California bar one evening. Just a few folks in the bar, and one happened to be Junior Seau and a couple of his relatives.

According to Flores' letter to Deadspin, Seau talked with Flores for several hours about the military and his tremendous respect for people in the armed forces. Eventually the talk shifted to music, and Seau "began to brag" about his skill with the ukulele. Flores "called him on it," and Seau went out to his car, brought back his instrument, and played "Brown-Eyed Girl" to a stunned bar.
In Flores' words:

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

Eric Olsen, an offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints, took to Twitter after Seau's death. Like Flores' recollection, Olsen's anecdote illustrates Seau's huge heart and sense of humor.

"When I was a frosh in HS Junior Seau worked the Jay Fiedler Football camp and at the end of one of the days he challenged any1 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."

Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports wrote about his first encounter with No. 55. It was a cold day in Pittsburgh and Seau was wearing board shorts. Silver asked, "How many pairs of pants do you own?"

Seau stopped and turned to face me. He smiled broadly. "One pair, jeans," he said. "One pair, slacks. Some sweats that someone sent me for free."
He paused. That was it?

"That's it," he said, satisfied, and I was pretty much the happiest Californian in sports journalism history. The quote didn't make the magazine, but it made me an unabashed Seau devotee for life.

Other memories abound in article comments and on Twitter. One person wrote, "I knew Jr. a little through the resort I worked at , and he was a member! I will never forget the first time I met him. He had that beautiful smile on his face and said 'Hi, I'm Jr., what's your name?' He was always so nice and pleasant to talk to! I will miss him dearly! I pray for his mom and family."

One of the most heartbreaking recollections comes from a message board dedicated to Seau's memory...

I volunteered to help with his foundations event where the recognize a local sports hero. That year it was Jimmie Johnson. They auctioned off goods to raise money for the charity with Junior as the auctioneer. ...

At the end, us lowely volunteers were in the kitchen, getting a sandwich meal they had packed for us after cleaning, and in walked Junior with a double armful of live orchids. They had been the centerpieces on the tables at the auction.

I thought everyone had left but us. He goes to every lady in the room and gives her one and thanks her for volunteering. He shakes all the guys hands and smiles and talks for second, calling everyone "Buddy". I was actually the last guy he stopped at, being the closest to the door, and he shook my hand and thanked me. If you never met him, he was a stunningly immense human being, like a mountain of muscle. He saw my wedding ring and gave me the last orchid and said:

"This is for your wife. Tell her it's from Junior Seau and that her husband did a good thing today. She probably wonders what your doing out this late. Thanks, Buddy."

she's too young to have known him as a football player here. eight or nine years ago, she was seven or eight. i don't know even know if she knew whose name was on the wall, but she was eating lunch with her dad and another one of our sisters at seau's restaurant when jr. walked through with a group of employees to talk about changes he wanted to see in the restaurant.

"...we need to get an artist in here to..."

i don't know the rest of what he was talking about, but my little sister said something like, "i'm an artist, i can help you."

he thought it was so funny that a eight year old girl who didn't even know who he was would volunteer to help beautify his spot that he broke off his walk-through so he could go meet my sisters and step-pops and they spent the rest of their lunch in conversation with him.

thanks for that. that eric olsen story is money. cats like mj or kobe would never let anyone score on em purposely. what a humble dude

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/report-junior-seau-suffered-cte-syndrome-caused-repeated-134236671--nfl.html

Former San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, who blazed a Hall of Fame trail through 20 NFL seasons from 1990 through 2009, committed suicide in May 2012. It was a surprise to everybody, and we may now know more of the reason behind Seau's tragic end. According to an exclusive report from ABC News, Seau was found to have suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative condition that can lead to memory loss, dementia and depression.

Seau's family donated his brain to the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., to find out if he was one of many players whose time in the NFL led to CTE. Seau's widow, Gina, said that last week, doctors told her that he did.

"I think it's important for everyone to know that Junior did indeed suffer from CTE," Gina Seau said. "It's important that we take steps to help these players. We certainly don't want to see anything like this happen again to any of our athletes."

Dr. Russell Lonser, the former chief of surgical neurology at the NIH, said that because of the publicity surrounding Seau's death, Seau's brain was "blinded" during research so that nobody doing the diagnosis would know whose brain they were studying.

"The neuropathologists each examined tissue samples from three different unidentified brains. The official, unanimous diagnosis of Mr. Seau’s brain was a 'multi-focal tauopathy consistent with a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy,' the NIH said in its statement. "In addition, there was a very small region in the left frontal lobe of the brain with evidence of scarring that is consistent with a small, old, traumatic brain injury.

"Specifically, the neuropathologists found abnormal, small clusters called neurofibrillary tangles of a protein known as tau within multiple regions of Mr. Seau’s brain. Tau is a normal brain protein that folds into tangled masses in the brain cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other progressive neurological disorders. The regional brain distribution of the tau tangles observed in this case is unique to CTE and distinguishes it from other brain disorders.

"The type of findings seen in Mr. Seau’s brain have been recently reported in autopsies of individuals with exposure to repetitive head injury, including professional and amateur athletes who played contact sports, individuals with multiple concussions, and veterans exposed to blast injury and other trauma.

Gina Seau said that the diagnosis was not a surprise. "The difference with Junior ... from an emotional standpoint how detached he became emotionally," she said. "It was so obvious to me because early, many, many years ago, he used to be such a phenomenal communicator. If there was a problem in any relationship, whether it was between us or a relationship with one of his coaches or teammates or somewhere in the business world, he would sit down and talk about it."

Seau's son Tyler agreed. "He would sometimes lose his temper. He would get irritable over very small things. And he would take it out on not just myself but also other people that he was close to. And I didn't understand why."

In his 20-year NFL career, Seau was never listed as having a concussion on any medical or injury report. He shot himself in the heart, some speculated, so that his brain would be available for study after his death. Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest in February 2011 and left a specific request that his brain be left to the Boston University School of Medicine.

The league is currently a potential defendant in lawsuits filed by more than 4,000 former players, a full third of the number of living former players, according to NFLConcussionLitigation.com. The players claim that the league knew of the dangers of concussions and did not diagnose them, leading to horrific post-football lives for many of its players. The Seau diagnosis, and the way in which Seau ended his life, will be a major blow to the NFL in the court of public opinion.

"We appreciate the Seau family’s cooperation with the National Institutes of Health," the NFL said in a statement in response to the diagnosis. "The finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE. The NFL, both directly and in partnership with the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and other leading organizations, is committed to supporting a wide range of independent medical and scientific research that will both address CTE and promote the long-term health and safety of athletes at all levels. The NFL clubs have already committed a $30 million research grant to the NIH, and we look forward to making decisions soon with the NFL Players Association on the investment of $100 million for medical research that is committed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We have work to do, and we’re doing it."

I can't find the link, but a SD newspaper did a long form article on him and how strangely his behavior changed over time, right up to the end.

It's fucking obvious.

..copy & paste what you posted as a new post

the convo is certainly valid, i'd just like to leave this thread with that info and move the convo away from seau (with respect)

thanks.


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"..i was born a free man. nobody beat me accept i beat them right back..."

..and miles to go before i sleep...