Junior Seau : The Life and Death of a Football Icon

A moving portrait of the life and legendary career of one of the NFL's most beloved players Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is widely considered one of the best linebackers ever to play the game. A ten-time All-Pro and twelve-time Pro Bowl selection, Seau was picked for the NFL's "All-Decade Team" in the 1990's. His incredible career spanned two decades, during which time he played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and Patriots. A charismatic leader and competitor known for playing through injuries and leaving it all on the field, Seau started in almost 250 regular season games and electrified fans with his dynamic play. In 2012, at the age of forty-three, Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. News of his death sent shockwaves through the NFL. Later, studies concluded that Seau had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of brain damage. His tragic death opened the door to hundreds of inquiries about the trauma from NFL... 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 A moving portrait of the life and legendary career of one of the NFLs most beloved players Tiaina Baul Junior Seau is widely considered one of the best linebackers ever to play the game.A ten-time All-Pro and twelve-time Pro Bowl selection, Seau was picked for the NFLs All-Decade Team in the 1990s. His incredible career spanned two decades, during which time he played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and Patriots.A charismatic leader and competitor known for playing through injuries and leaving it all on the field, Seau started inalmost 250 regular season games and electrified fans with his dynamic play.In 2012, at the age of forty-three, Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. News of his death sent shockwaves through the NFL. Later, studies concluded that Seau had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of brain damage. His tragic death opened the door to hundreds of inquiries about the trauma from NFL players and their families.Drawing on exclusive access to Seaus family and Seaus never-before-seen diaries and letters, veteran reporter Jim Trotter goes beyond the statistics to paint a moving portrait of a larger-than-life star whose towering achievements in the game came at a great cost. Prés. de l'éd.: Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is widely considered one of the best linebackers ever to play the game. A ten-time All-Pro and twelve-time Pro Bowl selection, Seau was picked for the NFL's "All-Decade Team" in the 1990's. His incredible career spanned two decades, during which time he played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and Patriots. A charismatic leader and competitor known for playing through injuries and leaving it all on the field, Seau started in almost 250 regular season games and electrified fans with his dynamic play. In 2012, at the age of forty-three, Seau committed suicide with a gunshot wound to the chest. News of his death sent shockwaves through the NFL. Later, studies concluded that Seau had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of brain damage. His tragic death opened the door to hundreds of inquiries about the trauma from NFL players and their families. Drawing on exclusive access to Seau's family and Seau's never-before-seen diaries and letters, veteran reporter Jim Trotter goes beyond the statistics to paint a moving portrait of a larger-than-life star whose towering achievements in the game came at a great cost A Moving Portrait Of The Life And Legendary Career Of One Of The Nfl's Most Beloved Players,--amazon.com. Introduction -- 1. I Have To Be Better Than Me -- 2. Success And Shame: One And The Same -- 3. There Was Nothing Junior About His Game -- 4. Ferdinand The Linebacker -- 5. Dream Turned Nightmare -- 6. I've Got To Get Better -- 7. The Turnaround -- 8. Super Fold -- 9. Cheating...in Business And Matrimony -- 10. The Anti-leaf -- 11. My Head Is On Fire! -- 12. The Trade -- 13. Hello, South Beach -- 14. The Graduation -- 15. This Is Not Who I Want To Be -- 16. High Point, Low Moment -- 17. I Knew He Was Going To Have A Hard Time With Life After Football -- 18. 9-1-1 Emergency -- 19. Gone But Not Forgotten -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index. Jim Trotter. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 204-209) And Index. Drawing on exclusive access to Junior Seau's family and his never-before-seen diaries and letters, the author chronicles the life and career of the football star, including his struggles with brain injury and his tragic suicide "A moving portrait of the life and legendary career of one of the NFL's most beloved players, "--Amazon.com