When NFL linebacker Junior Seau committed suicide in May of 2012, many speculated that he shot himself in the chest so scientists could study his brain for evidence of brain injuries. Now, researchers have announced what many suspected: Seau was suffering from a brain disease most likely caused by repetitive head injuries on the field.

A team of researchers at the National Institutes for Health concluded that Seau’s brain tissue showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease associated with mood swings, impulsiveness, depression and suicide. By linking Seau’s suicide with CTE, researchers offered more evidence to suggestions that athletic associations must find ways to prevent head injuries and their eventual effects. Gina Seau, Junior’s widow, said that something must be done.

“The head-to-head contact, the collisions are just, they’re out of control,” she said. When she learned about the researchers’ results, she said they made sense in the context of Junior’s final days.

“A lot of things towards the end of his life, patterns we saw and things that worried us, it makes sense now,” she said.

As these findings show, traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, can severely alter the victim’s life. When negligence or oversight plays a role in these injuries, victims and their families have a right to seek justice. Our firm offers free consultations so victims or family members who lost loved ones due to traumatic brain injuries can learn about their options for covering medical bills, lost wages and other damages. Call (866) 377-3800 to learn more.

Metier Law Firm, LLC – Denver injury attorneys