Junior Seau

Retired NFL star Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide in May, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health. ABC News/ESPN reported Thursday that Seau's family was recently told of the findings, which determined the brain of the All-Pro linebacker showed abnormalities associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Seau died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in his beachfront home in Oceanside. His family agreed to have his brain studied, to determine whether there could possibly be a link between the hits to the head he absorbed as a football player and his suicide.

LA JOLLA — Bob Zeman will do the same as millions Sunday. He will grab the remote, find an easy chair and turn on the Super Bowl. "I still like the drama of the game," he says. He won't exactly be a fan. More like an observer. He knows too much and has seen all too closely the underbelly of a National Football League that has successfully romanced an adoring public while chewing up some of its past and spitting it out. Zeman is part of that past. He played six years in the American Football League, which joined the NFL in the 1970 merger.

OCEANSIDE -- The death of NFL star Junior Seau was officially ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner's office. Officials are awaiting the family's decision regarding the study of Seau's brain for evidence of repetitive injuries. Seau was discovered dead in his beachside home in Oceanside on Wednesday morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, according to the report. Officials have not determined an exact time of death. Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Nelson conducted a forensic autopsy Thursday, including a full examination of Seau's body and organs while taking a collection of appropriate specimens for laboratory studies, including toxicology and microscopic examination of organs and tissues.

Rodney Harrison, the former all-pro safety for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, said he's scared for his future after sustaining numerous concussions during his playing days.  "I'm scared to death,"  Harrison said in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas. "I have four kids, I have a beautiful wife and I'm scared to death what might happen to me 10 or 15 years from now. " Harrison estimates that he suffered at least 20 concussions during his 15-year NFL career.

NFL great Junior Seau was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home in Oceanside on Wednesday morning, according to multiple reports. Seau, 43, among the best linebackers in NFL history, was found by his housekeeper with a gunshot wound to his chest, the North County Times reported, citing an unnamed source. A former USC star, Seau was selected fifth overall in the 1990 draft by San Diego. He played for the Chargers from 1990-2002, then spent three years with the Miami Dolphins before finishing his career with New England.

Ronnie Lott did his best to stay composed during Monday afternoon's unveiling of the 2012 early watch list for the "Lott IMPACT Trophy. " USC defensive back T.J. McDonald and UCLA linebacker Patrick Larimore were among the 42 players selected as candidates for the ninth Lott award , named after the former USC and NFL Hall of Fame defensive back. Lott was emotional as he offered closing comments in Newport Beach, less than a week after the death of former USC and San Diego Chargers star Junior Seau.

Junior Seau's girlfriend who made the 911 call to report his self-inflicted gunshot wound was frantic during a nearly nine-minute conversation with the emergency dispatcher. The recording of the call was released Friday by Oceanside officials after numerous requests by media organizations. AUDIO: Seau 911 call "Oh my God, I need an ambulance," the girlfriend of the former USC and NFL linebacker said as she cried. "Oh my God.... My boyfriend shot himself. " Seau's girlfriend, who said she had been at the gym for about an hour, returned to his oceanfront home about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and found him dead on a bed with a gun beside him. PHOTOS: Junior Seau | 1969 - 2012 "Help is on the way," said the dispatcher, who advised the woman to perform CPR on Seau.

The death of NFL star Junior Seau was officially ruled a suicide by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday. Officials are awaiting the family's decision regarding the study of Seau's brain for evidence of repetitive injuries. Seau was discovered dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in his beachside home in Oceanside on Wednesday morning about 9:35 a.m., according to the report. Officials have not determined an exact time of death. Dr. Craig Nelson, deputy medical examiner, conducted a forensic autopsy Thursday, including a full examination of Seau's body and organs and a collection of appropriate specimens for laboratory studies, including toxicology and microscopic examination of organs and tissues.

The upbeat spring practice that first-year UCLA Coach Jim Mora was enjoying was significantly marred Wednesday by the death of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau. Mora, an assistant with the San Diego Chargers from 1985 to 1991, coached Seau for two seasons and was shocked by the news of his apparent suicide. “He loved life and had a tremendous impact on the young people that he touched through his work in the community,” Mora said. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and his beautiful children.” PHOTOS: Junior Seau | 1969 - 2012  Seau played for the Chargers from 1990 to 2002 and spent a total of 20 seasons in the NFL. “I had the honor of coaching Junior when he first came into the league and from Day 1 his passion for the game was infectious,” Mora said.

Junior Seau's apparent suicide has left many of his former teammates stunned and saddened, searching for answers as to why. "I'm sorry to say, Superman is dead," said Shawn Mitchell, a chaplain for the San Diego Chargers. "All of us can appear to be super, but all of us need to reach out and find support when we're hurting. " Being from the San Diego area, Seau quickly became one of the most beloved Chargers of all time after he joined the team, and his popularity only grew after he led the team to the 1995 Super Bowl.

NEW ORLEANS - Super Bowl experience comes in all shapes and sizes, but no player in Sunday's game will be able to match that of the Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed. Not only has Reed already played on Super Bowl Sunday, but he has also done it on this very Superdome turf. OK, so it was in an NFL Punt, Pass and Kick contest before the Green Bay Packers-New England Patriots game in 1997, and he was 18, but who's counting? "It was awesome," said Reed, who is from St. Rose, La., about 30 miles west of New Orleans.

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks after having surgery to repair a broken right hand. Love sustained the injury in a game on Jan. 3 against Denver. It was the second such injury this season for Love, who broke the same hand in the preseason but returned rather quickly, missing only the first three weeks of the regular season. Love, who is in the first year of a $62-million contract extension he signed last January, should be sidelined until around mid-March, about a month before the playoffs begin.

Referee Billy Kennedy crashed through the fourth wall on Wednesday evening. During a live broadcast of the Lakers vs. San Antonio game on ESPN, the team's coaches gathered around Kennedy to find out why there was a delay in restarting play after a break. It looked as though they were discussing something fairly serious -- but that notion was quickly debunked. "TV went to a 20[-second timeout], thought that it was going to be a 20," Kennedy told the coaches. "All right, so what I'm doing right now is I'm stalling.

Advanced tests conducted by the National Institutes of Health on the brain of football star Junior Seau, who committed suicide in May, showed he had signs of a degenerative brain disease, the Associated Press reported. The examination of Seau's brain showed "abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)," the kind of injury associated with repetitive head injuries, the AP said. An initial autopsy on Seau performed by the San Diego County medical examiner found no apparent damage to his brain from years of football.

Junior Seau, among the greatest linebackers in NFL history, suffered from degenerative brain disease when he fatally shot himself in May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday, another blow to a league whose former players say they were never warned about the dangers of head injuries. More than 2,000 former players are suing the NFL, contending the league never properly addressed the problems with head injuries and in many cases withheld information about the long-term effects associated with them.

The Oceanside home of the late NFL star Junior Seau has sold for $1.975 million. Built in 1997, the three-bedroom, 21/2-bathroom beachfront house contains 2,238 square feet of living space. The lower level features an additional bedroom and bathroom as well as a three car-garage. The former San Diego Charger linebacker went on to play for the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots before retiring in 2010. He died in May at 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. John Beran of ERA Ranch & Sea Realty handled the transaction.

The Oceanside home of the late NFL star Junior Seau has sold for $1.975 million. Built in 1997, the three-bedroom, 21/2-bathroom beachfront house contains 2,238 square feet of living space. The lower level features an additional bedroom and bathroom as well as a three car-garage. The former San Diego Charger linebacker went on to play for the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots before retiring in 2010. He died in May at 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. John Beran of ERA Ranch & Sea Realty handled the transaction.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Junior Seau spent Monday morning surfing in San Clemente and that afternoon playing in a charity golf tournament in Dana Point. He joked with his playing partners, was the first to offer fist bumps after clutch putts, sought out course workers to pose for pictures with him and seemed like a retired NFL superstar without a care. Less than two days later, in a bedroom of his beachfront home in Oceanside, while his girlfriend was at the gym, Seau, among the greatest linebackers in football history, put a handgun to his chest and pulled the trigger.

SAN DIEGO - Football star Junior Seau had no alcohol or illicit drugs in his system when he committed suicide, and an initial examination of his brain showed no apparent damage from his years of football, according to the autopsy and toxicology reports released Monday by the San Diego County medical examiner. Also, his girlfriend, Megan P. Noderer, told police that Seau, 43, had given no indication he planned to kill himself, according to the investigative narrative attached to the autopsy report.