LOS ANGELES — For 13 of his 20 years as one of the premier linebackers in the NFL, Junior Seau proudly wore the helmet of the San Diego Chargers. It is accentuated with the now-iconic lightning bolts, and probably no player ever reflected his team's logo more than Seau.
To epitomize Seau on the football field, one need only to travel back to November 1989 for the crosstown rivalry game between the Trojans and UCLA Bruins. The story of the game was Seau, who dislocated his shoulder in the first quarter but stayed in the game and terrorized the Bruins all game long. He probably should have been at the hospital getting X-rays, yet he stayed at the Coliseum wreaking havoc on the Bruins.
Surprising? Probably to anyone who didn't know Seau.
"We would have been surprised if he didn't play the rest of the way," said John Jackson, a former Trojans teammate and now a FOX Sports reporter. "That's the kind of player he was. He had played with a broken hand earlier in his career; he just didn't let anything stop him from playing. That's what made him an all-time great."
The lightning Seau brought to the football field and all the people in his life has left us way too soon, as the 43-year old Oceanside, Calif., native was found dead Wednesday in his beachfront home. Police are investigating the death as a suicide, and the man who provided so many answers on the football field leaves nothing but questions in the aftermath.
"Yesterday at this time, if you'd asked me if I would like to trade lives with Junior, I would have said yes," Jackson said. "It just goes to show you that you have to live every day like it might be your last, because it might be.
"Being a friend and former teammate of Junior's, you remember all the good things. He was a great guy, involved in so many charitable causes, and its things like that which make it so hard to take.
"People saw him as such a great football player; he was an even better person. He loved his teammates, his friends and the community, and we all loved him back. You're going to hear stories all week about what a good guy he was, how vibrant he was, which makes you wonder why someone who appeared to have the world by the tail would commit suicide, if that's what happened. That's part of what makes it hard to take."
Some friends of Seau were too devastated to talk: Former Trojan and All-Pro linebacker Willie McGinest declined an interview request, saying he was too upset.
USC Athletic Director Pat Haden issued a statement saying: "We are tremendously saddened to hear this news and our hearts go out to his family and children. Junior Seau was one of the greatest legends in USC football history. He will always be remembered by USC as the original No. 55."
Added Trojans coach Lane Kiffin: "This is a very sad day. The USC football program and the entire Trojan Family extend our condolences to Junior's family. He was one of the greatest Trojans of all time. Our team and fans were very fortunate to see him just a couple of weeks ago at our Spring Game at the Coliseum. He will be deeply missed."
#RIPJuniorSeau You were one of the greatest Trojans of all time!
— Matthew Barkley (@MattBarkley) May 2, 2012
Beloved as he was, Seau showed signs that something was wrong. In October 2010, Seau drove his SUV over a cliff near Oceanside following a domestic abuse charge filed by his girlfriend at the time. He told police that he fell asleep at the wheel, and it was later reported that there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the mishap. However, it started speculation that Seau was having some sort of problem in his life, something he denied often.
"This really just doesn't make sense," said Jackson, who interviewed Seau when he was inducted into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009. "He loved his family so much, and he now had the time and the means to do whatever he wanted as far as spending time with them.
"Everybody talks about your teammates being your family, but you know in reality who your real family is. Junior was a family guy, and the times we talked over the past few years, he talked about spending time with all of them.
"It's really tough to accept this."
