In the final years of his life, Junior Seau’s behavior became erratic, those closest to him freely admit. There were wild mood swings, forgetfulness, an inability to sleep, irrationalityand depression.
Still, no one expected the former NFL linebacker to take his own life. And then he did.
Seau’s children and ex-wife sued the NFL Wednesday, claiming the former All-Pro’s suicide was the result of brain disease caused by the violent hits he dished out and received during his 20-year career as a battering ram with the Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots.
The suit alleges the league hid the link between blows to the head and long-term cognitive effects.
Seau, who was diagnosed posthumously this month with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, died at the age of 43 last May from a self-inflicted gunshot.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its “acts or omissions” that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says Seau developed CTE from those hits, and accuses the league of failing to “disseminate to then-current and former N.F.L. players health information it possessed” about the risks associated with brain trauma.
“Our attorneys will review it and respond to the claims appropriately through the court,” the NFL said in a statement.
Also named in the suit is helmet manufacturer Riddell Inc. The Seaus said Riddell was “negligent in their design, testing, assembly, manufacture, marketing, and engineering of the helmets” used by NFL players. The suit says the helmets were unreasonably dangerous and unsafe.
Seau retired in 2003. He spent his first 13 seasons with the Chargers.
“We were saddened to learn that Junior, a loving father and teammate, suffered from CTE,” the family said in a statement released to the Associated Press. “While Junior always expected to have aches and pains from his playing days, none of us ever fathomed that he would suffer a debilitating brain disease that would cause him to leave us too soon.
“We know this lawsuit will not bring back Junior. But it will send a message that the NFL needs to care for its former players, acknowledge its decades of deception on the issue of head injuries and player safety, and make the game safer for future generations.”
The suit’s plaintiffs are listed as Gina Seau, Junior’s ex-wife; his children Tyler, Sydney, Jake and Hunter, and Bette Hoffman, trustee of Seau’s estate.
The lawsuit accuses the league of glorifying pro football’s violence while creating the impression delivering big hits “is a badge of courage which does not seriously threaten one’s health.”
It singles out NFL Films for promoting the brutality of the game.
“In 1993’s ‘NFL Rocks,’ Junior Seau offered his opinion on the measure of a punishing hit: “If I can feel some dizziness, I know that guy is feeling double [that],” the suit says.
The NFL consistently has denied allegations similar to those in the lawsuit. More than 1,500 former NFL players are suing the NFL, alleging the league hid the dangers of concussions from them.
Seau was among a string of high-profile NFL players — along with Dave Duerson, Shane Dronett and Shane Easterling — who took their own lives and were later diagnosed with CTE.
CTE can result in Alzheimer’s-like symptoms such as dementia, memory loss, aggression and depression, but it can be diagnosed only after death.
Seau’s family donated his brain to the National Institute of Health for research, and this month the NIH released a statement saying “abnormalities were found that are consistent with a form of [CTE].”
An Associated Press review in November found more than 3,800 players have sued the NFL over head injuries in at least 175 cases as the concussion issue has gained attention in recent years. More than 100 of the concussion lawsuits have been brought together before U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia.