NFL’s Junior Seau had brain disease from blows to head

A picture of former San Diego Chargers and NFL linebacker Junior Seau is displayed as fans arrive at Qualcomm Stadium to participate in a "Celebration of Life" memorial, held in his memory in San Diego(Reuters) – Junior Seau, the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker who killed himself last year, suffered from the same debilitating brain disease diagnosed in at least two other former NFL defensive players who also committed suicide, a study released on Thursday said. Seau, 43, died in May after shooting himself in the chest at his beachfront house in his hometown of Oceanside, California. He played mostly for the San Diego Chargers and two other teams in a 20-year career in the National Football League. …

UPDATE 4-NFL’s Junior Seau had brain disease from blows to head

(Adds statement from Seau family) Jan 10 (Reuters) – Junior Seau, the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker who killed himself last year, suffered from the same debilitating brain disease diagnosed in at least two other former NFL defensive players who also committed suicide, a study released on Thursday said. Seau, 43, died in May after shooting himself in the chest at his beachfront house in his hometown of Oceanside, California. He played mostly for the San Diego Chargers and two other teams in a 20-year career in the National Football League. …

Ex-NFL players join to sue league on head injuries

(Reuters) – More than 2,000 former NFL players have joined forces in a lawsuit due to be filed on Thursday alleging the league deliberately and fraudulently concealed from players the risk of brain injury from playing professional football. The master complaint joins together more than 80 lawsuits previously filed by former players on a topic that has generated increasing concern following the suicides of former players such as Pro Bowl linebacker Junior Seau on May 2. The 86-page lawsuit was due to be filed shortly at U.S. …