We now have more insight into the death of Junior Seau. The future Hall of Fame Linebacker took his own life last year, and details have emerged that Seau had a traumatic brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Seau had a 20-year career playing in San Diego, Miami and New England before leaving the NFL in 2009.
National Institutes of Health conducted the study which proved Seau had the degenerative brain disease. Seau is one of dozens of former NFL players that we know have been diagnosed with CTE.
Seau’s family requested the brain scan.
"I think it's important for everyone to know that Junior did indeed suffer from CTE," Gina Seau said. "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."
Seau’s son Tyler was obviously very disturbed in his comments to ABC News.
"I guess it makes it more real," he said. "It makes me realize that he wasn't invincible, because I always thought of him as being that guy. Like a lot of sons do when they look up to their dad. You know? You try to be like that man in your life. You try to mimic the things that he does. Play the game the way he did. Work the way he did. And, you know, now you look at it in a little bit different view."
I wonder if this is what it will take for fans to accept the new "softer" NFL?
