One of the NFL’s great stars of the 1990s is gone.
Junior Seau, the punishing linebacker that was the face of the San Diego Chargers for so many years was found dead Wednesday in his home of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest.
Anytime a 43 year old dies, “tragedy” doesn’t seem like a good enough word.
One word that comes to mind is “unnecessary.”
Over the coming days and weeks, we will learn more about what led to this dark day.
But it will certainly be linked to concussions and the violence of football.
Some people have already compared this to the suicide of former NFL player Dave Duerson, who shot himself in the chest so his brain could be studied.
In a sport focused on inflicting physical pain (Bounty-Gate notwithstanding), the trauma of concussions is frightening.
Need we even discuss how the very real concussions of professional wrestler Chris Benoit demented his brain to the point of killing his entire family, and then himself?
Will we be able to go two weeks without a former athlete committing suicide? Retired football player Ray Easterling killed himself in late April.
Can we, as sports fans, deal with suicide as the byproduct of an NFL Sunday?
The NFL is already considering banning players who have sustained concussions.
But will you be able to separate your enjoyment of the game from the harsh reality that those playing it are not just risking their lives – they are shortening it?
(Mar…
The NFL has a serious problem on its hands. For years it has touted player safety as its primary concern. Obviously, the focus of that concern doesn't agree. The game of football is arguably the most violent (sanctioned) sport in the world. Whether its handing out penalties that truly make the offender feel the pain of an illegal hit or comically large helmets that sufficiently cushion the blows on the field, something must be done.
Some will argue that the UFC is far more violent than the NFL. I can buy that argument, but would ask this question. How many former UFC guys are suffering the ill effects of concussions and other injuries like NFL players are? Either the NFL is lying and doesn't care about its players, or the UFC is an organization to be modeled in the way it takes care of its athletes.
@MattLaCasse I see your point. The NFL has a major problem on the hands. It's a good start to ban helmet-to-helmet heads and add penalties/fines, but that's not going to be enough. With regards to the UFC, the UFC has a lot less athletes and is a lot newer. I'm guessing the injury and concussion rates are fairly similar. It's just not in the public eye like the NFL is.
@MattLaCasse Excellent point. MMA fighters, even at the lower levels, fight every few weeks AT MOST. At the top levels, 1-3 times per year. That allows them enough time to heal properly after each altercation. Plus, those fights, at most, go for five five-minute rounds, right? Not punishing collisions over and over again for 16 out of 17 Sundays, plus six weeks of training and preseason and then a month (potentially) of post-season.
Muhammad Ali said that the fights aren't what hurt him - it was the sparring.
We're thirsty for football (I definitely am), but when it turns into bloodthirst, we're in trouble.
@MikeSchaffer Yes. I'm as thirsty for football as the next guy (though mine's more for the college game), but with what is happening with former NFL players, something MUST be done.
@jessicamalnik UFC is relatively new, but Mike is spot-on. Those athletes are allowed the proper time to heal; and I'm guessing their contracts can't be pulled out from under them like an NFL contract can. Junior Seau is the first name in this debate that has the potential to REALLY draw some attention. He was the face of "hard-hitting" NFL players for the better part of the 1990's. And now he's dead, by his own hand, because he couldn't deal with the mental issues that came along with concussions.