May 4th Post

Junior Seau Found Dead

• Former NFL Linebacker Junior Seau, 43, was found dead in his apartment by his girlfriend on Tuesday. The circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious but the police have said they are investigating it like a suicide.
• Seau was one of the greatest linebackers in the history of the NFL. He was made the pro-bowl 12 times in his 20 year career. He was a linebacker on the all-1990's team, and will soon be inducted to the Hall of Fame. He played 10 years with the San Diego Chargers, followed by 7 years with the Miami Dolphins and finished up his career with 3 years as a New England Patriots.
• As mentioned above, the circumstances of his death are still under investigation. However the way it happened sounds very similar to that of former Chicago Bears great Dave Duerson, and of three hockey payers who took their own lives in the past 18 months. All four of those player's deaths have been linked to the after effects of concussions suffered while playing.
• Whatever the reasons, Seau will be missed. He is remembered as a widely loved and respected player. He is survived by three children an ex-wife and a girflriend. Former teammate and current ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley delivered a heartfelt/heartbreaking insight into what may have allowed Seau to be so troubled without anyone really knowing (If you don't have time to watch the video, the cliffnotes are essentially that Seau habitually hid any weaknesses from his friends and loved ones). The greatest tragedy is that Seau was so loved, any one of a handful of people would have dropped whatever they were doing to help him and get him back on the right track, if only they'd known what was happening.

Suggs, Rivera suffer major injuries

• Two of the best players in their individual sports, Terrell Suggs of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and Mariano Rivera of the MLB's New York Yankees suffered devastating injuries, neither of which was sustained while playing a game.
• Suggs tore his ACL and will miss the entire 2012 season. Last year he led the NFL in sacks, was the NFL's defensive player of the year and led the Ravens right to the brink of the Super Bowl before they lost a heartbreaking game to the New England Patriots. While not as well known as teammates Ed Reed or Ray Lewis, Suggs was probably the best player on the Ravens before this happened.
• Rivera, the all-time leader in saves, was doing his pregame ritual of catching fly balls during batting practice before the Yankees' game against the Kansas City Royals. While tracking a fly ball off of the bat of newly acquired Jayson Nix. When he reached the warning track (the dirt buffer between the outfield grass and the outfield wall) his knee buckled. Rivera collapsed and had to be carted off the the field. He was later relieved to have an ACL tear and will likely miss the rest of the season. The 39 year old Rivera, who is widely known for being a phenomenal athlete, was rumored to be seriously considering retirement at the end of this season. This injury could be the end of a career for the greatest closer in MLB history.