© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

Medical Examiner Rules Junior Seau's Death A Suicide

Junior Seau in 2009, when he played with the New England Patriots.
Elsa
/
Getty Images
Junior Seau in 2009, when he played with the New England Patriots.

The San Diego County medical examiner's office has confirmed Junior Seau's death was a suicide, The Associated Press reports. As we reported this morning, signs pointed to suicide, but the former NFL player did not leave a note or other obvious clues.

Seau died Wednesday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, the AP says.

Further tests still have to be completed, San Diego's Union-Tribune reports. The paper adds:

"The medical examiner is awaiting the family's decision regarding whether to donate Seau's brain to researchers studying repetitive head injuries, authorities said."

As we noted yesterday, Seau's death has been compared to the 2011 death of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson. Duerson left a note asking that his brain be studied for a disease linked to depression before shooting himself.

Seau retired after the 2009 season. Over the course of his 20-season career, Seau played for the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins and the San Diego Chargers.

The Chargers' Class of 1994 — Seau's team and the only San Diego team to make it to the Super Bowl — is speculated to have some sort of a curse, NPR's Scott Neuman reports.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Dana Farrington is a digital editor coordinating online coverage on the Washington Desk — from daily stories to visual feature projects to the weekly newsletter. She has been with the NPR Politics team since President Trump's inauguration. Before that, she was among NPR's first engagement editors, managing the homepage for NPR.org and the main social accounts. Dana has also worked as a weekend web producer and editor, and has written on a wide range of topics for NPR, including tech and women's health.
Related Content