Seau's death confirmed a suicide

Former NFL star Junior Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest, autopsy results confirmed on Thursday, according to San Diego County authorities. Seau, a hugely popular NFL veteran, was found wounded at his beachfront home north of San Diego on Wednesday by his girlfriend, who notified authorities. Emergency crews were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Although he left no suicide note, the county medical examiner's office said Thursday that an autopsy confirmed suspicions that he had taken his own life. The precise time of his death was unclear, county spokeswoman Sarah Gordon said. Gordon added that the medical examiner will await the Seau family's decision on whether to examine his brain for evidence of repetitive trauma possibly suffered during his NFL career. Although friends and family said they had no indication Seau was depressed, speculation immediately arose as to whether Seau was battling depression that recent research has linked to multiple concussions suffered by NFL players and other sportsmen.