Junior Seau
The Life and Death of a Football Icon
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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Publisher Description
This intimate biography of the NFL icon by a veteran sports reporter sheds light on his singular life and the controversy surrounding his tragic death.
Tiaina Baul “Junior” Seau is widely considered to be among the best linebackers in NFL history, a ten-time All-Pro, a twelve-time Pro Bowl selection, and a first-ballot entrant into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But in 2012, just two years after retiring from football, Junior Seau committed suicide. Studies of his brain by the National Institutes of Health concluded that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease often caused by repeated hits to the head. Seau’s suicide spawned numerous investigations into the brains of deceased NFL players, and many were found to have CTE.
Drawing on exclusive access to Seau’s family as well as Seau’s never-before-seen diaries and letters, Jim Trotter paints a moving and revealing portrait of a larger-than-life sports star whose achievements on the field were rivaled by his personal demons.
“Few people knew Junior Seau like Jim Trotter . . . he took a sports book and artistically crafted it into a lyrical narrative about dreams, love, and, ultimately, heart-wrenching loss.”—Lars Anderson, author of The All Americans
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Despite the significant concussion discussion that ensued following the suicide of Junior Seau, a 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, the first posthumous biography of the athlete notably lacks details on head injuries. The former linebacker committed suicide in 2012 at the age of 43; his family later sued the National Football League, alleging that the NFL concealed from players the dangers of football-related brain trauma. ESPN football writer Trotter, who covered Seau's career and developed a professional and personal relationship with him, states that Seau, who played 268 NFL games over 20 seasons, was not once diagnosed with a concussion. Seau, born Tiaina Baul Seau Jr., grew up poor in San Diego County, Calif., and spent the majority of his NFL years with the hometown Chargers. He was universally considered one of the league's nicest guys. But a series of poor post-retirement business decisions, excessive partying and addictions, and a self-perceived inability to love others set Seau on a path of destruction that ultimately led to his demise. Trotter interviewed many of Seau's family members and friends, who here break their silence for the first time since his death. He also extensively quotes former NFL teammate Rodney Harrison, who blames a small group of enablers for not encouraging Seau to seek help when he needed it most.
