Doctors say Junior Seau’s brain was damaged by head trauma

“I think it’s important for everyone to know that Junior did indeed suffer from CTE,” his ex-wife Gina Seau told ESPN. “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.”

The death of Seau, who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest, was eerily similar to the suicide of former NFL defensive back Dave Duerson, who also committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest and who left a note requesting that his brain be studied. Researchers at Boston University have found CTE in the brains of 33 deceased NFL players.

A statement from the National Institutes of Health said that Seau’s brain showed “evidence of scarring that is consistent with a small, old traumatic brain injury.”

dokgonzo wrote: The pressure of losing one's roster spot no doubt keeps a lot of players from saying anything. The problem is probably a lot worse than is what is publicly known.