The family of Junior Seau on Wednesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the National Football League, arguing that the former star linebacker’s debilitating brain disease led to his suicide last May, the Associated Press reported.
Researchers concluded earlier this month that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) attributed to repeated blows to the head over the course of his 20-year playing career. CTE has been linked with depression and suicidal tendencies.
In the suit that was filed in the California Superior Court in San Diego, the Seau family claimed that the NFL ignored mounting evidence of the long-term neurological risks to players.
From the AP:
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its “acts or omissions” that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from those hits, and accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries.
