Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for two
decades, suffered from a degenerative brain disease often associated
with repeated blows to the head when he committed suicide last May, the
National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday.
The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., said Seau's brain revealed
abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.
It said that the study included unidentified brains, one of which was
Seau's, and that the findings on Seau were similar to autopsies of
people ''with exposure to repetitive head injuries.''
Seau's family requested the analysis of his brain.
The 43-year-old star linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San
Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. He died of a
self-inflicted shotgun wound.
He joins a list of several dozen football players who were found to
have CTE. Boston University's center for study of the disease reported
last month that 34 former pro players and nine who played only college
football suffered from CTE.
''I was not surprised after learning a little about CTE that he had
it,'' Seau's 23-year-old son Tyler said. ''He did play so many years at
that level. I was more just kind of angry I didn't do something more
and have the awareness to help him more, and now it is too late.
''I don't think any of us were aware of the side effects that could be
going on with head trauma until he passed away. We didn't know his
behavior was from head trauma.''
That behavior, according to Tyler Seau and Junior's ex-wife Gina,
included wild mood swings, irrationality, forgetfulness, insomnia and
depression.
The NFL faces lawsuits by thousands of former players who say the
league withheld information on the harmful effects of concussions.
According to an AP review of 175 lawsuits, 3,818 players have sued. At
least 26 Hall of Famer members are among the players who have done so.
Seau is not the first former NFL player who killed himself, then was
found to have CTE. Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling are the others.
''He emotionally detached himself and would kind of `go away' for a
little bit,'' Tyler Seau said. ''And then the depression and things
like that. It started to progressively get worse.''
He hid it well in public, they said. But not when he was with family or
close friends.
Dr. Russell Lonser, who oversaw the study, said Seau's brain was
''independently evaluated by multiple experts, in a blind fashion.''
''We had the opportunity to get multiple experts involved in a way they
wouldn't be able to directly identify his tissue even if they knew he
was one of the individuals studied,'' he said.
The National Football League, in an email to the AP, said: ''We
appreciate the Seau family's cooperation with the National Institutes
of Health. 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.''
NFL teams have given a $30 million research grant to the NIH.
Before shooting himself, Duerson, a former Chicago Bears defensive
back, left a note asking that his brain be studied for signs of trauma.
His family filed a wrongful-death suit against the NFL, claiming the
league didn't do enough to prevent or treat the concussions that
severely damaged his brain.
Easterling played safety for the Falcons in the 1970s. After his
career, he suffered from dementia, depression and insomnia, according
to his wife, Mary Ann. He committed suicide last April.
Mary Ann Easterling is among the plaintiffs who have sued the NFL.
''It was important to us to get to the bottom of this, the truth,''
Gina Seau said, ''and now that it has been conclusively determined from
every expert that he had obviously had it, CTE, we just hope it is
taken more seriously.
''You can't deny it exists, and it is hard to deny there is a link
between head trauma and CTE. There's such strong evidence correlating
head trauma and collisions and CTE.''
Tyler Seau played football through high school and for two years in
college. He says he has no symptoms of brain trauma.
Gina Seau's son Jake, now a high school junior, played football for two
seasons but has switched to lacrosse and has been recruited to play at
Duke.
''Lacrosse is really his sport and what he is passionate about,'' she
said. ''He is a good football player and probably could continue. But
especially now watching what his dad went through, he says, `Why would
I risk lacrosse for football?'
''I didn't have to have a discussion with him after we saw what Junior
went through.''
Her 12-year-old son, Hunter, has shown no interest in playing football.
''That's fine with me,'' she said.
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