NARRATOR: He'd lost millions
of dollars gambling...
- Including compulsive gambling,
alcohol abuse...
NARRATOR:
He wasted everything...
- And violent, off-the-field
incidents.
- We didn't know why he was
detached or forgetting,
or why he would bark at us
for nothing.
We didn't know.
- 911 emergency.
- (shouting)
NARRATOR:
And then, another death...
- An apparent suicide
by a powerful athlete...
- Your boyfriend?
- Yes!
- A beloved NFL star apparently
took his own life today...
- What is your boyfriend's name?
- Junior Seau.
- Linebacker Junior Seau died
today in an apparent suicide...
- Where did he shoot himself?
- I can't tell, ma'am,
it looks like in the heart.
- The untimely death of Junior
Seau is provoking questions...
NARRATOR: As the news broke,
the question emerged--
did CTE play a part in
Junior Seau's death?
- Here comes Seau...
and he's sacked
all the way back at the 41!
NARRATOR: He had used his body
and his head for 20 years
in the NFL.
Number 55 was a hard-hitting
linebacker.
Pain and injury were his
specialty.
He even bragged about
it once on an NFL film.
- A perfect hit is when you're
faced up,
coming one-on-one and you hear
him go "Uh!"
Just a little "uh."
NARRATOR: He talked about the
price he was willing to pay.
- You have to sacrifice
your body,
you have to sacrifice
years down the line.
When we are 50, 40 years old,
we probably won't be able
to walk.
That's the sacrifice that you
take to play this game.
NARRATOR:
And it had paid off.
Seau made millions.
He was a philanthropist,
beloved in his community.
But then, a familiar story--
his life fell apart.
- Junior Seau was arrested
for domestic violence
in Oceanside, California,
early on Monday...
- Seau accused of hitting his
25-year-old girlfriend...
- Junior Seau drove his SUV
right off a cliff
in California...
- Former pro football star
has apparently fallen
on hard times...
NARRATOR: At 43 his business
empire had imploded.
He'd lost millions
of dollars gambling.
- Including compulsive gambling,
alcohol abuse...
NARRATOR:
He wasted everything.
- And violent off-the-field
incidents.
- We didn't know why he was
detached or forgetting,
or why he would bark
at us for nothing.
We didn't know.
- The past two years
have been the roughest.
And for a couple of months
at a time
I wouldn't hear from him at all.
And that would scare me.
- We got really close and I feel
like it's turning around--
okay, he wants to be
part of my life.
And then, all of a sudden,
I wouldn't hear from him.
Sorry.
He is truly a legend, and he
will be with us forever...
NARRATOR: The final diagnosis in
Seau's case was national news.
- ABC News and ESPN have learned
exclusively
Seau's brain showed
visible signs...
NARRATOR:
He had CTE.
- ...of CTE, chronic
traumatic encephalopathy...
- Let's be clear,
let's be clear.
We strongly deny those
allegations
that we withheld any information
or misled the players.
And if we have to defend
this suit, we will do that
and be able to make those
factual allegations.
