NFL Off Topic
Junior Seau’s Family Will Not Be Allowed to Speak at His Hall of Fame Induction
"SAN DIEGO — Junior Seau’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was always going to be awkward, a chance to celebrate a marquee player known for his bone-crushing career while not dwelling on his controversial death tied to it.
When his induction was announced at the Super Bowl, his family rejoiced and started thinking about what to say at the ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8. Seau had told them if he ever made it, he wanted his daughter, Sydney, to introduce him.
But the Hall of Fame does not plan to let Sydney or anyone else speak on his behalf. Instead, it will only show a video that will commemorate his career, while avoiding questions about his suicide in 2012 and the subsequent diagnosis of traumatic brain injury that doctors said they believed was brought on by hits to his head. Nor will the video mention the lawsuit that Seau’s family has filed against the N.F.L., which is trying to curb injuries in active players and address brain disease in thousands of retired ones.
To the Hall of Fame officials, simply showing the video, which will not invoke Seau’s suicide, will keep the focus on his playing days. To his family still grappling with his death, though, the tribute seems underwhelming for one of the sport’s best linebackers and a highly regarded figure in Southern California where Seau grew up and played most of his career."
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/25..._r=0&referrer=
Junior Seau’s Family Will Not Be Allowed to Speak at His Hall of Fame Induction
"SAN DIEGO — Junior Seau’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was always going to be awkward, a chance to celebrate a marquee player known for his bone-crushing career while not dwelling on his controversial death tied to it.
When his induction was announced at the Super Bowl, his family rejoiced and started thinking about what to say at the ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8. Seau had told them if he ever made it, he wanted his daughter, Sydney, to introduce him.
But the Hall of Fame does not plan to let Sydney or anyone else speak on his behalf. Instead, it will only show a video that will commemorate his career, while avoiding questions about his suicide in 2012 and the subsequent diagnosis of traumatic brain injury that doctors said they believed was brought on by hits to his head. Nor will the video mention the lawsuit that Seau’s family has filed against the N.F.L., which is trying to curb injuries in active players and address brain disease in thousands of retired ones.
To the Hall of Fame officials, simply showing the video, which will not invoke Seau’s suicide, will keep the focus on his playing days. To his family still grappling with his death, though, the tribute seems underwhelming for one of the sport’s best linebackers and a highly regarded figure in Southern California where Seau grew up and played most of his career."
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/25..._r=0&referrer=
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