Man in the Mirror: NFL players that have killed themselves

By: Denise Young

My heart goes out to the families of these players of NFL players. The question is why are these young men killing themselves? Well, it could be a lot of reasons such as a set of overwhelming feelings. The attraction of suicide is that it will finally end these unbearable feelings. The tragedy of suicide is that intense emotional distress often blinds people to alternative solutions . . . yet other solutions are almost always available.

We all experience feelings of loneliness, depression, helplessness, and hopelessness from time to time. The death of a family member, the breakup of a relationship, blows to our self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, and/or major financial setbacks are serious problems which all of us may have to face at some point in our lives. Our prayers go out to the families of these young men. Check out the young men who thought this was the best situation to their problems.

Saturday’s horrible murder-suicide of NFL player Jovan Belcher is the latest in several suicides by NFL PLAYERS.

JOVAN BELCHER
The 25 year old player shot himself in the parking lot of the team’s practice facility after killing his girlfriend in front of his 3-month-old daughter. READ SCOOP

O.J. MURDOCK
In July, Tennessee Titans wide receiver OJ Murdock shot himself in front of his old high school. He was 25.
The Florida athlete had joined the Titans in 2011, but spent most of last season on the injury list and did not play any games for the team. No motive was ever given.

JUNIOR SEAU
In May, former San Diego Chargers player Junior Seau shot himself in the chest. He was 43. Friends say Seau had insomnia, and at least some say he often took Ambien. That’s the best-known brand name for zolpidem, a prescription drug commonly prescribed for sleep disorders.

The FDA-approved prescribing information for Ambien warns that suicidal thoughts or actions have been reported by depressed patients using this class of drugs.

RAY EASTERLING

In April, former Atlanta Falcons player Ray Easterling shot himself. He was 62, and an autopsy found that he had the degenerative brain disease CTE that’s believed to be caused by head trauma.
The brain disease CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy,) is known to cause erratic behavior, but it’s unclear if all of these players were afflicted with that condition. Nationally, speculation has centered on head blows and multiple concussions and how they can lead to depression and debilitating pain in the lives of players and former players — even if, like Seau, who played 20 NFL seasons, they never reported a concussion. Sleep disorders also are common among people who have experienced traumatic brain injury, University of North Carolina concussion researcher Kevin Guskiewicz says.
No matter the cause, this is a crazy sad trend.