News that Junior Seau showed signs of degenerative brain disease when he killed himself in May did not surprise Mark Walczak, a friend and ex-teammate who spent time with Seau in the last week of his life.
"In some ways, I'm relieved there's this finding," Walczak told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) named Seau as the latest of dozens of pro football players who died with signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
"I'm not surprised that Junior and others have this evidence of brain damage," Walczak said. "He's not the only one that has these types of issues. We've got guys who are retiring as we speak, like Ray Lewis, that we need to keep an eye on."
Officially, Seau never suffered a concussion during his 20-season career spent mainly with the San Diego Chargers. Walczak, a former tight end and long snapper, thinks his friend suffered multiple undiagnosed concussions.
"Junior just didn't report head injuries," Walczak said. "I had (unreported) concussions, too, especially back when guys were allowed to tee off on the long snappers. But you just don't report them. You're a football player. You're tough. If you did report stuff like that, next thing you know you're on waivers."
The NFL, in a statement to USA TODAY Sports, said in part: "The finding underscores the recognized need for additional research to accelerate a fuller understanding of CTE" and mentioned its $30 million research grant to NIH.
Walczak expressed skepticism about the NFL's efforts.
"I think they've basically just scratched the surface of a gigantic iceberg," he said. "There's so much more to do for the players from the past and the players who are playing now. ... They turned a blind eye to this for so long, and now it's an avalanche."
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