Couldn’t agree more. Mr. Seau was a great player and his death is a tragedy, but he made a conscious decision to play pro football and subject himself to the associated risks. In return, he earned millions of dollars and a very comfortable lifestyle. With his fortune, Seau likely had access to the best medical and mental health care, even though there isn’t much you can do in cases of early onset dementia caused by a lifetime of head injuries.
On the other hand, consider the plight of military veterans wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. They, too, made a decision to enlist and face the risk of injury or death. In return, the nation pledged to do everything it could for the troops and their families, in the event they were maimed or killed.
There are literally thousands of young men and women who suffered horrible physical and mental wounds in combat over the past decade. Many of them never made more than $30,000 a year in uniform and after being scarred for life, they were medically discharged from the armed forces, with a disability rating. After that, they must battle for benefits within the VA system, where the quality of care pales in comparison to what Junior Seau had access to.
One more thing: my heart goes out to the Seau family. But I wonder if any of them ever encouraged him to retire from the NFL sooner, before the cumulative effects of the game took their toll. He spent 19 years in the league; at the time, many marveled at his longevity, but we can only imagine the toll it took on his body. And there were plenty of people—agents, families, teams—that were willing to let him keep playing.