Fantasy Friday
May 4th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Junior Seau 1969-2012
News broke Wednesday that Junior Seau was found dead in his Oceanside, CA home. The first reports placed the cause of death as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Those reports have since been confirmed. Junior Seau was 43 years old.
On a football field, there are high profile positions. Quarterback being the highest. Wide receivers and running backs get a lot of love. They move the rock; they score TDs. The defensive ends get noticed for sacking QBs. Even corners and safeties on occasion pick a ball, and get that “high-steppin” spotlight. The middle linebacker, not so much. They are usually the first in a gang tackle, lost in the cluttered, pile somewhere near the line of scrimmage. Their names, though, their names are some of the most iconic names in football: Nitschke, Butkus, Lambert, Singletary. Not glamorous, but revered. They are the Quarterbacks of the defense. The leader. The anchor. And when there is a good defense, you can pretty much bank there’s a good middle linebacker holding it down. And for twenty NFL seasons, Junior Seau was one of the best.
What possesses a man to take his own life? Even more, what possesses a man like Junior Seau to take his own life? The unthinkable is so common place that the rest of us barely stutter a step. “Nothing to see here. Just keep moving.” With hardly a moment’s ponder, we dial up a conclusion – simple and far removed from our own stories. Hurry, reconnect the loop, man; get the reel spinning. Just keep moving.
I hope the news of Junior Seau stops you in your tracks.
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