I don't know how to prove or disprove if he knew at some point in his professional career of even if the lawsuit hinges on that piece of info. It has been known that repeated hits in the head cause symptoms of dementia and parkinsons or had an idea if they didn't know specifically what, but pretty much associated only with boxers and not really thought of as a football, hockey, or wrestling injury. Only recently (within the last decade or so) has the full effects been well known which are probably far more scarier which are the pre-dementa/parkinsons stages such as the poor judgment, social problems, agitation, aggression, difficulty concentration, maintaining focus, and processing information. With CTE there is psychotic (not as scary as it seems in medical terminology, doesn't mean the person is a crazed maniac that kill anyone at any moment, it means paranoia, delusions, seeing & hearing things that aren't there (and reacting normally to them) -- Schizophrenia is a full-time version of this w/ delusions that are more bizarre Plus there is a culture in football that you play hurt and w/ head injuries not visible, and then what happens when an NFL players does check himself out? Look at the reaction when a player sits out 3-4 weeks due to failing a concussion tests or for any reason. He gets labeled "injury-prone" and either teams drop them or have less interest in picking them up. Seau, himself, never missed a game for a concussion that was listed on the injury report. Also at issue is the NFL's handling of concussions, business does have an obligation to maintain and improve a safe working environment while informing employees of the hazards. In '03, Shannahan sent Plummer back in w/ a "concussion" when he really had a torn shoulder that he didn't want the defense to target. I believe there is evidence the NFL withheld or minimized the effects of brain injuries near the mid-nineties and there is evidence of at least 1-team doctor, the Raiders in the 70's-80's which misled players on the true extent of their injuries -- James Woods character in Any Given Sunday was based on that doctor.
---what I really wanted to say or actually stuff that I planned to keep to myself---
Anyways, there is a completely different reason why I have an increased interest in this issue and noticed the angle hasn't been mentioned and posts focus on whether the lawsuits have merit or making a point to mention that Seau made the decision to play football knowing there is a risk (not sure if full effects were known or how to recognize symptoms and treat when head injuries were well known when Seau began is football playing career) as if that should effect our level of concern.
When I saw that Seau had killed himself, diagnosed w/ CTE, and had a history of head injuries. I said to myself, well I attempted to kill myself in November '11 the explanation as to why I had to have surgery in post '28(posted by a relative), had multiple head injuries as a throughout my life(played a lot of unorganized tackle football, have a scar on my head, falling so hard on a metal bar, and various others (never been knocked out, don't know how it's possible) so I looked up the symptons of CTE and it was like a revelation as to why my life is crashing & burning at a increasingly alarming rate while my ability to manage any situation detoriates and the way people interact with me is incredibly different than it was over a year ago (unless they've known me in years but in most cases I slipped out of contact w/ them as my issues increased). I couldn't figure out why I'm regressing into this person that can't snap back to how I was, my "issue" seemed to start in August '11 when I experienced a few things at the same time that caused extreme stress, drank that day (first time in awhile and the last time I got drunk), the next 2 days (especially the second), experienced an unexpected psychotic episode that was full blown the 2nd day. I hearing a few people here there threaten me or say something unusual from a distance. Then later on, I hear someone say something as if they're walking by me but there isn't anyone there. I chalked up to "it's in my head". later on at a bus stop I hear the same voice say something, but no one is sitting down, but for some reason a Circle K cup sitting on the ground in a way that would be there if someone was sitting there (probably left there by someone that was previously sitting there), I then said something to the "spirit" and immediately stopped myself, then I hear, "Wait! You can hear us?" I rent a motel (for a reason that shocked the hell out of me wasn't real) and I hear a male and female voice talking under my bed, then I don't know why (and the only time I felt something that wasn't real), it felt like an invisible person pulled my leg which at-the-time removed all doubts that I could talk to ghosts. At first, I felt like it was cool as if I was like the kid in the 6th Sense, as they continued to chat under my bed, I suddenly heard, "It's a shame we will have to kill him." "Why?" "Think about it. He could actually have children." That day went downhill quick, fast, and in a hurry. I was eventually checked into Banner Desert Hospital which I ended up fine after I slept (after I was knocked out with a shot after the second time I attempted to flee -- at-that-point I was counting non-stop to avoid the nurse, who I saw the bus on the way there which introduced me to a mind communicating network -- I was communicating to her on the bus -- from reading my thoughts at the hospital who were sharing my thoughts with her co-workers (weird when I think of it considering to what actually happened at the same hospital between December 22-25, 2012 -- which I want to get to but will put off until probably tomorrow as I already spent a lot of time on this post). The point w/ explaining that, is why did I suddenly experience that out-of-the blue. I always felt there had to be something more to the causes of stress, lack-of-sleep, possibly diet, & alcohol the day prior. When I look up CTE it say The first stage is characterized by its disturbances and psychotic symptoms and I suffered a pretty bad head injury about 3-4 days prior which I didn't look at as a connection. Then the second stage is the patient may exhibit erratic behavior, memory loss, and the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as difficulty with balance and gait -- which I'm pretty sure I'm at right now. A lot of people (that didn't know me prior to this issue) often think of me, treat me, and talk to me like an idiot (maybe I am, but not as much as they think I am)` which I know I'm not but was aware of why they were getting those impressions which discourages me from saying anything and I often have problems these days saying what I wanted to say exactly, in-a-way that keeps there interest, or desire as few people take what I have to say seriously(internet is different is different as I could take my time -- which is devastating at-this-moment as I'm kept awake at night reliving a very traumatic experience that I'm now living as if it didn't happen, as I tried w/ a couple friends I attempted to began telling but thought I was full-of-shit (or seemed that way), but when I did, I did a horrible job of explaining what-it-was (which I didn't figure out the how but the are), quit shortly after I began telling it. Not that it matters as to whether it is true or not and it is pretty unbelievable, I often question if it actually happened but I can't be any more sure that it did. The thing was, they hospital thought I was dumber than I really was. I also think I have the other symptoms judgment, confusion, difficultly focusing, headaches, I am paranoid far more than I was but surprisingly I make assumptions far less than most people.
Point is, if Seau experienced something similar to what I'm feeling I feel absolutely heartbroken for him and for anyone going through this. If it is anything like me, it is something you experience and battle through alone while no one around you can't understand why you are what you are and don't think you were any different unless they knew you before the regression. I do have much sympathy for his family right now and do hope awareness and therefore concern is raised.
*I never was diagnosed w/ CTE or any permanent head injury, I did fail the first round of TBI tests in the Army 'August '07 but passed the second round -- hungover drunk (the tests were the same day as my first day of leave) but that was before many more head bumps.
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