Junior Seau: Song Of Sorrow

Junior Seau: Song Of Sorrow
FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2006, file photo, former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau pauses before speaking to reporters and fans during a news conference announcing his retirement at the team's training facility in San Diego. In recent interviews with 40 players _ 13 rookies, 17 active veterans and 10 former NFL players _ The Associated Press heard growing worry about the physical and emotional toll professional football takes. The 43-year old Seau's suicide at his oceanfront home on May 2, 2012, resonated across the age groups, with more than half of each saying that particular event pushed them to ponder their future in the sport or the difficulties of adjusting to a new daily life after leaving the league. (AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2006, file photo, former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau pauses before speaking to reporters and fans during a news conference announcing his retirement at the team's training facility in San Diego. In recent interviews with 40 players _ 13 rookies, 17 active veterans and 10 former NFL players _ The Associated Press heard growing worry about the physical and emotional toll professional football takes. The 43-year old Seau's suicide at his oceanfront home on May 2, 2012, resonated across the age groups, with more than half of each saying that particular event pushed them to ponder their future in the sport or the difficulties of adjusting to a new daily life after leaving the league. (AP Photo/Sandy Huffaker, File)

In 2009, his 20th and final season in the NFL, Junior Seau discovered a new obsession that would help ease his transition into retirement. A friend presented him a ukulele, and Seau instantly fell in love with its breezy, Hawaiian sounds. Never mind that he couldn’t carry a tune or that he didn’t know all of the words to any songs. And it certainly didn’t matter that after two decades as one of the greatest defensive players in pro football history, he possessed “linebacker hands.” His massive fingers were arthritic, misshapen, swollen and scarred, thanks to having been stomped on in piles, again and again, by teammates and opponents wearing cleats.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot