According to TMZ Junior Seau involved in shooting

over 20 years ago, we lost a good friend to illness. Her husband was taking it hard. My dad went to visit him one Sunday and everything seemed to be ok. Three hours later the guy hung himself in the basement leaving his three kids now with no parents.

What pushes someone to the brink? I have no idea. In this instance, you really could not tell he was thinking suicide. He also had planned it because he emptied bank accounts and had all of the cash in his pockets so the kids would get it I guess..

So, to the guy who said where were his friends... dude he could have easily sheltered them from what he was feeling inside.

He does a show with Max Kellerman, 710 ESPN in LA. The show is available as a podcast on iTunes, the news comes out about 10 minutes in to hour 2 of the show.

Wiley was a teammate/friend of Seau's, and does a very good job of portraying him as a great, great person/teammate. It's hard because he's obviously upset and breaks down a few times, but the stories and the stuff about who Seau was is really worth listening to. I admit, I didn't know much about the guy off the field or what type of person he was. He played out west most of his career so I guess I never paid too much attention to him other than knowing he was a great LBer.

Not sure what the reason was; that is very difficult to ever determine. It is always a tragedy though that one would think could be prevented.

As to changing the game, I don't think an equipment change will help with head injuries. Perhaps a rules change or better treatments should be considered further.

never being listed on an injury report with a concussion......that may be true but how many times during his career did he "get his bell rung" as announcers & other used to often say when the word concussion was still tabboo.

crushing, gut-wrenching, heartbreaking to watch. That poor woman. My prayers and thoughts to her and the entire family.

I'm incredibly shocked. He was one of the "good guys", he was a role model, he was such an easy guy to root for; the first non-Giant football player I became a fan of.

or Duerson's passing. It is crazy to me to know that they have helmets that offer better protection, but no one wants to wear them because "They don't look good". They should at least start requiring them in college. That way by the time the player gets to the pros - it won't seem so odd. Then in another 3-5 years make them required equipment in the NFL (I don't think the pros will take to them overnight). And, besides if everyone is wearing them how would it look funny?

then no helmets. I mean, the MM concussion early in the season looked harmless. His head hit the turf and that was it, if I recall correctly. I remember being surprised that that light contact shook him up.

Shouldn't a helmet be able to stop a concussion from contact with soft grass? Anyone know a bit more about the durability and mechanics of NFL helmets?

I remember when I played, the worst part about the helmets was sound that would reverberate in the helmet when making contact with hard objects.

And what happened to the old neck braces that Linebackers used to wear? I'd imagine the neck support could help with head injuries because the neck is better supported and the head doesn't whip around as much. I'm probably way off though.

helmets prevent skull fractures and your skull from just caving in. But how does it prevent it from rattling your brain?

Helmets make it worse. The brain isn't supposed to slosh around like that.

But the other way helmets make it worse is that players use them as weapons. How many concussions happen in professional rugby compared to the NFL?

I just had one when I was in a car accident. The doctor said it's when you stop suddenly, your brain is still moving inside your skull and even if you don't hit your head, the brain bounces back and forth within the skull and that causes the concussion.

Mine was a mild concussion. Two weeks later I was walking down the stairs and my cat ran in front of me. I tried to stop and wound up sitting down hard on the steps. I didn't hit my head, but it jostled my brain. That felt worse than what happened during the car accident. These guys are probably getting mild concussions every game.

We as fans often question athletes toughness, tolerance to pain, contract negotiations, etc. Sitting in front of a TV or on the internet is easy to do when your playing with someone else's life. These guys through so much in their lives that no one else see..That T-Shirt that Tuck wore and many ripped him for "My pain, your excitement" or something like that is real..Which is why i never question these guys ability..We have no idea what they go through..It may seem like they got it made because of the money, but money doesn't not buy happiness or tranquility..

R.I.P Junior..

Good post and I have echoed this as well many times. Players are not pieces of meat

They do not buckle their chin straps tight, so the helmet is not as protective as it could be. Half of them do not wear mouthpieces. These are contributing factors.

Players no the risks they are taking. Its a tragedy that Seau took his life, but the true tragedy is his three children who now no longer have a father. The tragedy is there were thousands of people who were there for Junior wo he could have reached out to.

Don't blame football. Don't blame the NFL. Football did not put a gun in his hands. There are plenty of players, 99.5% of them who do not committ suicide.

after Duerson shot himself a year ago?

What changed? I guess there were some rule changes, but were they prompted by Duerson? -- not sure, they appeared to be directed against exceptional hits vs. the grinding everyday hits of lineman, LBs and running backs.

I hate to think this, but the reality is that as time passes, this will become another news item from last year.

This isnt the first evidence of depression/illness from a concussion and if history is a gauge, it won't be the last.

Unless the players association steps in and protects their players proactively rather than after they retire.

I'm not going to link it, but JFC this stuff should be sealed.