Junior Seau: Brain Damage, Concussions Speculated To Factor In NFL Legend's Suicide

NFL legend Junior Seau died yesterday after reportedly shooting himself in the chest, according to various news reports.

What prompted the apparent suicide is still unknown. But Seau’s taking of his own life will inevitably raise questions about a possible role of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder that results from repeated concussions and that can produce dementia and other forms of cognitive dysfunction.

The NFL has had to contend with a growing incidence of this disorder. Dave Duerson, an NFL safety, committed suicide in 2011 by shooting himself in the chest and directed that his brain be used for research on CTE. Any player in the NFL, and in other contact sports like hockey, probably leaves a long career with some traces of brain injury. But tests will be needed to determine whether Seau merited a clinical diagnosis.

No reports have emerged so far that Seau suffered from dementia-like symptoms. An SUV that Seau was driving in 2010 near his home in Oceanside, Calif., went over a cliff that fronted on a beach, according to The Los Angeles Times. The incident occurred following his arrest that year related to suspicion of domestic violence.

Seau, a 12-time NFL Pro linebacker following a career as an All-American at University of Southern California, registered 13 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, three seasons with the Miami Dolphins and ended his career with the New England Patriots.

See Scientific American’s In-Depth Report—The Science of Concussion and Brain Injury—and the article “The Collision Syndrome” (pay wall) from the February 2012 Scientific American for more on CTE.

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[plaidsportcoat]

12:11 PM on 05/06/2012

At least the NFL could teach these poor men how to commit brain-preserving suicide in a more painless way.
They hate that science exists to preserve their brains for study.
Soon, you will see the NFL-sponsored research that claims concussions are actually good for you.

[phal4875]

06:29 PM on 05/04/2012

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) should scare the heck out of anyone who has played hockey or football at a high level for a substantial period of time. One has to wonder if any of those folks escape some effects from the repeated trauma.

[butchcliff]

07:18 AM on 05/04/2012

More concussion syndrome/factors coming out all the time. Sad for Jr one of my faves ever.

[rg9rts]

06:22 AM on 05/04/2012

This area of study is still in its infancy. There appears to be more trauma occurring at the highschool level than was realized. There is a new catagory of non debilitating injury being recognized and on and on. I think we have just scratched the surface of brain trauma.

[KingGlorious]

02:23 PM on 05/04/2012

ditto

[rg9rts]

02:36 PM on 05/04/2012

Just heard that 100+ players are sueing the NFL for withholding information about concussions.

[BabyMed]

11:42 PM on 05/03/2012

I don't believe he committed suicide...He was close to his family ...REALLY close.
He didn't leave a note which he would have done to at least explain WHY for his poor mother and his children. He didn't seem that selfish to leave his kids, parents and siblings in this manner, no matter how much pain he may have been in.

He was murdered...San Diego police are lazy..look at that case last year where they ruled that woman committed suicide by hog tying herself from her BACK, naked then in that postition throwing herself off a balcony. YEA...a rope tying expert couldn't tie himself up the way she did. Suicide...case closed.

[phal4875]

06:33 PM on 05/04/2012

Junior Seau came close to killing himself in 2010. Why would you assume that a man shot in the same spot as Dave Duerson was doing anything but commit suicide in a way that would preserve his brain?

[AntiClast]

08:02 PM on 05/03/2012

CTE as the factor in his death is at this point speculation. However, two doctors in New Jersey have autopsied several football players who deteriorated mentally and committed suicide and found the signs of CTE in their brains. Even worse, the wrestler Chris Benoit who killed his whole family and himself had CTE. (At the time of the incident the press speculated it was due to steroid use; he had not.)

Many of our troops have been subjected to IED explosions and may have brain damage. (Others probably have simple psychological trauma -- PTSD -- which can be treated with a quick technique called EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/emdr-what-is-it
).

The Vietnam war triggered a lot of research to help burn victims. Also, flame throwers were outlawed by international treaty because treating burns is a long, expensive process.

I hope the head injuries of these wars will result in research to prevent and to treat head injuries better. I think head injuries have been the neglected source of a significant fraction of mental illness.