NFL Can’t Be Singled Out as Cause of Junior Seau’s Suicide, Expert Hints

Contrary to a recent lawsuit, the NFL alone can’t be blamed for Junior Seau’s death in a self-inflicted shooting last May, suggests suicide expert Stan Collins.

“Suicide is a complex behavior with many situations and problems contributing to a person feeling suicidal, including mental illness, hopelessness, isolation and stressful life circumstances,” he said in the wake of the suit filed by the family of the former Chargers star.

In their Jan. 23 complaint, the four Seau children, his ex-wife and a guardian argued his death was a “direct and proximate result of having suffered multiple past traumatic brain injuries while playing professional football for the NFL from 1990-2009.”

Collins this week declined to comment specifically on the suit, but told Patch via email:

“Most people who die by suicide show warning signs or talk about their intentions. By becoming more knowledgeable about the warning signs and what to do, anyone can learn how to appropriately respond to someone in need.”

According to a Pomerado News account, Collins grew up in Poway and graduated from Poway High School in 1999, and “was inspired by the suicide of a friend in their freshman year … to learn about suicide prevention.”

After studying social science at San Diego State University, Collins spent nearly 11 years working with the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention program both locally and nationally, the paper said.

“Collins estimates that he has spoken to a quarter of a million people about suicide prevention since he began,” the report said, and in 2001 testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee about suicide with the national chapter of the Yellow Ribbon program in Colorado.

As he and others stressed at a media seminar in September, many local resources exist for people feeling suicidal or know someone who is.

The San Diego County Access and Crisis Line is 888-724-7240.

The CHIP San Diego Suicide Prevention Council website, allows people to sign up to attend a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training for free.

Said Collins: “I believe the tragic loss of Junior Seau highlights that everyone in our community should be educated about suicide prevention.” 

In September, a media seminar and critique of press coverage of suicides stressed that “no neat little bow to tie” exists to account for suicides, which can have many causes.