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Preview: Junior Seau suicide related to hard-hitting NFL career?

A man wears a Junior Seau replica uniform in front of Seau's restaurant in San Diego. Former San Diego Chargers star Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday in what police said appeared to be a suicide.
Gregory Bull
/
AP Photo
A man wears a Junior Seau replica uniform in front of Seau's restaurant in San Diego. Former San Diego Chargers star Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday in what police said appeared to be a suicide.

The tragic death of NFL star Junior Seau has raised some questions about whether the hard hits he was involved in on the field somehow contributed to his apparent suicide.

The body of the 43-year-old linebacker was found Wednesday. Authorities say he left a note, although the contents of the note have not been revealed. Police have confirmed that Seau was shot in the chest. Does that mean he wanted his brain to be preserved for research, similar to the wishes of another former player who recently killed himself?

Because Seau's death follows so closely on the heels of two high-profile suicides in former NFL defensive backs, MSNBC reports many are wondering if the concussions Seau sustained during his 20-year career - spent mostly with the San Diego Chargers - played a role in his death.

We'll hear what KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel has to say about all of this tomorrow morning at 5:35 and 7:35 on 88.5 KPLU. Check back here for a blog of our conversation.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.