Tragedy on and off the Field: The Story of Junior Seau
Junior Seau: A Football Legend's Devastating End
Junior Seau, a name synonymous with NFL greatness, gets a brief but poignant mention in FX's American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. While these two men never played together, they share a tragically similar fate; a pivotal aspect and central to understanding what the writers tried to convey through its storytelling decisions. The series features Seau's death by suicide – a moment designed to highlight this common thread between prominent, yet utterly unrelated players.
American Sports Story details the physical damage endured by Hernandez, largely untreated head injuries which directly contributed to that heartbreaking, and deeply alarming CTE diagnosis after his death. It showcases his struggles with his head and those inherent psychological problems resulting from his extensive participation in NFL games and those high-stakes, risky professional football challenges. The series makes the inclusion of Seau as a key storytelling element that impacts Hernandez's life; foreshadowing events through this parallel, demonstrating another profound narrative insight.
A Celebrated Career Cut Short: Seau's NFL Journey
Seau, a legendary linebacker, spent almost 20 years in the NFL, playing for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots. Drafted in 1990, he became a beloved athlete, even getting NFL Man of the Year in 1994. It's also worth noting the parallel with Hernandez, also mentioned in the show; at 25, Seau won that prestigious award, the exact same age Hernandez had already gotten that lifetime prison sentence. Hernandez himself died by suicide later at 27.
Suicide and CTE: The Lingering Shadows
Seau's suicide, at 43, happened on May 2nd, 2012; years after retirement. He was found with a gunshot wound and authorities officially ruled the cause of death a suicide; which is important to keep in mind, since many similar situations show NFL players with similar endgames and consequences. No note was left. But something interesting happened; A piece of paper had the lyrics to "Who I Ain't" by Matt Kennon—a deeply strange detail suggesting a mysterious element found in this very unexpected place.
American Sports Story includes this tragic element regarding Seau's death because it shows his tragic postmortem CTE diagnosis. His death is crucial because the writers use it to underscore how these things were often untreated injuries, impacting these kinds of lives profoundly. This foreshadows Hernandez's own fate – and shows those tragic parallels from prominent, completely separate athletes that helps demonstrate just how widespread and catastrophic those problems actually were, particularly those unseen ones not detected during the lifetime of athletes!
The Silent Killer: CTE's Impact on Seau's Life
Seau never reported a single concussion—amazing considering that immense, long tenure as a successful athlete. Yet this was never known! Only after his brain was donated was his CTE diagnosed! (2013), and those problems with head trauma; resulting in that silent killer affecting Seau deeply. This shows what actually happened, yet is so profoundly significant in highlighting many problems and failings of the entire NFL system, especially concerning those unseen, undetected injuries and risks in its own highly competitive and intense environment.
This highlights one pervasive attitude among these players. As Seau said (via ESPN): “To strike your will on another player in hopes that the player quits on you and allows you to do what you need to do at your pace—that's the name of the game.” He didn't imply there were no rules; rather the competition involved extreme effort, extreme measures and risks; highlighting those unspoken expectations among NFL players and showing the necessity of extreme competition that completely overshadows most other potential issues and personal risk factors. American Sports Story mirrors this—showing Hernandez playing with serious injuries – emphasizing just how immense that cultural expectation to keep competing despite potentially disabling physical problems remained pervasive in this intensely demanding industry.
The Seau Family's Lawsuit and Settlement
The Seau family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL (January 2013), and this was eventually settled privately (2018) – they chose not to be part of that wider $675 million concussion settlement and created additional controversy, demanding additional money based upon the profound emotional impacts caused by his death, due to CTE. The American Sports Story highlights only a few athletes—showing how many people were severely affected, with many never having received those kinds of treatment to those kinds of problems and challenges impacting their long-term physical and mental health.
Conclusion: A Legacy Tainted by Tragedy
Junior Seau's life and career were a huge success! But the tragedy underscores some key aspects that remained overlooked in his era— the silent devastation from CTE. This is something American Sports Story skillfully does: showcasing that story through those similar but wholly distinct narratives from these men.
