Chargers’ star Junior Seau dead of apparent suicide
Linebacker found with gun nearby
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Junior Seau, a homegrown superstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader of the San Diego Chargers for 13 years, was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide. He was 43.
Police Chief Frank Mccoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, Mccoy said. Police said no suicide note was found and they didn’t immediately know who the gun was registered to.
Seau’s death in Oceanside, in northern San Diego County, stunned the region he represented with almost reckless abandon. The same intensity that got the star linebacker ejected for fighting in his first exhibition game helped carry the Chargers to their only Super Bowl, following the 1994 season. A ferocious tackler, he’d leap up, pump a fist and kick out a leg after dropping a ball carrier or quarterback.
“It’s a sad thing. It’s hard to understand,” said Bobby Beathard, who as Chargers general manager took Seau out of Southern California with the fifth pick overall in the 1990 draft. “He was really just a great guy. If you drew up a player you’d love to have the opportunity to draft and have on the team and as a teammate, Junior and Rodney (Harrison), they’d be the kind of guys you’d like to have.”
Quarterback Stan Humphries recalled that Seau did everything at the same speed, whether it was practicing, lifting weights or harassing John Elway.
“The intensity, the smile, the infectious attitude, it carried over to all the other guys,” said Humphries, who was shocked that Seau is now the eighth player from the ‘94 Super Bowl team to die.
Four suspended for bounties
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season by the NFL, one of four players punished Wednesday for participating in the team’s cash-for-hits bounty system.
Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, now with the Green Bay Packers, was suspended for the first half of the 16-game season; Saints defensive end Will Smith was barred for the opening four games; and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, will miss the first three games. Like Vilma, they were suspended without pay.
All four players have three days to appeal NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s ruling, and the head of the NFL Players Association said the union would fight the penalties. Fujita is a member of the NFLPA’S executive committee.
Manning’s going for laughs
NEWYORK — Eli Manning sensed his brother’s shadow even as a comedic actor.
Saturday Night Live producers invited the New York Giants quarterback to host after he won his first Super Bowl in 2008. One of the many reasons he declined was that Peyton Manning had hosted the show a year earlier after his own championship.
“Peyton had done so well the previous year, I thought it might be a little fresh in everyone’s minds,” Eli said Wednesday. “I did not want to have to go up against such tough competition and the great job that he performed.”
Wozniak in quarterfinals
Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak reached her first WTA quarterfinal in two years on Wednesday with a three-set win over Alexandra Cadantu of Romania at the Budapest Grand Prix in Hungary.
The product of Blainville, Que., won the second-round match 6-7, 6-0, 6-0 despite only connecting on 51 per cent of her first serves and double faulting seven times.
Wozniak made up for her serving troubles with a strong return game, winning 54 per cent of the points off Cadantu’s serve. She was especially deadly on break point, breaking Cadantu’s serve eight times in 10 attempts during the two hour match.
Wozniak, ranked 57th in the world, will play No. 81 Anna Tatishvili of Georgia in the quarterfinals. The pair split their two meetings in 2011.
Canadians split matches
Canadians Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney split their games on Wednesday at a FIVB World Tour beach volleyball event in Shanghai, China.
The Toronto duo beat Americans Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson 21-12, 21-15 in their opening match, but lost 21-18, 21-14 to the second-seeded Brazilian team of Talita Da Rocha Antunes and Maria Antonelli later in the day.
The Canadians conclude group play today against Cristine Santanna and Andrezza Martins das Chagas of Georgia.