In a chillingly similar case to Dave Duerson, NFL star Junior Seau died by suicide after months of displaying CTE symptoms. The night before his death, the linebacker sent a text message to his ex-wife and children in which he simply wrote, "I love you."
"A lot of things, towards the end of his life, patterns that we saw and things that worried us, it makes sense now," his ex-wife Gina told ABC News, describing how his emotional state had spiraled into depression. Seau's family had his brain matter tested for CTE after his death and neuroscientists found definitive proof of the disease, which has been linked to suicidal ideation and mental illness. It was probably caused by two decades of Seau hitting his head as a linebacker in the NFL. "The head-to-head contact, the collisions are just, they're out of control," Gina said, adding: "He was a warrior and he loved the game, but ... I know that he didn't love the end of his life."
"We appreciate the Seau family's cooperation with the National Institutes of Health," a representative for the NFL stated after the news broke, promising that the league would commit to doing more research on concussions. At the time of Seau's 2013 passing, CTE could be diagnosed only in deceased individuals. Mayo Clinic has reported that researchers seek to change this.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
