Junior pg 10 5-10-12
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With Pro
All Pro linebacker Junior Seau, left, stands with Amy and Eric Sarette on the 14th tee at Pebble Beach. Seau died last week. Courtesy photo.
By Ron P. Coderre
The death of former National Football League star linebacker Junior Seau at his home in Oceanside, Calif., not only rocked the Golden Gate State and the NFL but the effects of the shocking news were felt all the way to Putnam and northeastern Connecticut. Seau, the former USC All-American and All-Pro linebacker with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and most recently the New England Patriots, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He was 43 years old.
Seau’s connection to the northeastern Connecticut area ironically is not through football but through golf. In May 2007 Seau teamed with Vineyard Valley and Woodstock Golf Course professional Eric Sarette at the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Club in the Ronnie Lott Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament. The connection of Sarette, and Seau was made through Seau’s college roommate Loren Wilson, who lived in the Pomfret area for a while.
According to Sarette, he and his wife, Amy spent three days in California, with Eric playing as Seau’s golf partner in the two-man event. Sarette notes that although the tournament was hosted by Ronnie Lott, the easy going, friendly Seau was sought out by many of the other celebs. In addition to Lott and Seau, a host of other celebrities such as Marcus Allen, Deacon Jones, Ozzie Smith and numerous others were in the field.
“He was the life of the party. Everyone was drawn to him because they all seemed to love him. Despite his status he never forgot me all weekend, making certain that he introduced me to all of his friends. His death is a complete shock to me,” said Sarette with a tear in his eye.
To make Sarette’s story of Seau even more spectacular, the weekend of the tourney Sarette came down with terrible back pain, which dramatically affected his usually very smooth game. His biggest supporter was Seau, who realized that Sarette, who was in pain, had brought his dad’s ashes to spread over the famous 18th hole at Pebble Beach.
“As we we’re walking down the 18th I was very somber, thinking of my dad who had just passed away. Between my thoughts and my back pain, Junior came over to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, ‘Thanks for the round with you and your dad,’” said Sarette.
Seau was found in his home by his girl friend. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. The speculation is that, much like a couple of other NFLers, Dave Duerson and Ray Easterling, Seau was suffering from mental anguish caused by the many hits to the head he had taken during his football career. Although he didn’t leave a note, the shot to the chest was his way of taking his life, while allowing researchers to study his brain in an attempt to prevent head injuries and suicide by future players.
There were signs that Seau may have previously been having suicidal thoughts, although on the surface he appeared to everyone to be a happy-go-lucky guy. Three years ago, following a divorce and a domestic violence incident with his girl friend, he drove his car over a 100-foot cliff along the California coast. An incident he said occurred because he had fallen asleep, although some thought it was a suicide attempt.
“It’s hard to believe that someone as nice as he was would do something like this. He had everything going for him. And to top it off he was down to earth and so generous. Although we hadn’t spoken in about a year, I miss him dearly,” said Sarette.
Despite the 3,000 miles that separated Sarette and Seau, they stayed in touch by phone and e-mail. Although Seau is no longer physically present, Sarette has the flag from the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, signed by Seau, on the wall at Vineyard Valley. It’s a memento that will forever tie him to and remind him of his friend, Junior Seau.