Sydney Seau Delivers Emotional Hall Of Fame Speech For Late Father, Junior Seau

On Saturday, Sydney Seau honored her father, Junior Seau, by giving the Hall of Fame speech he could not. Sydney thanked the people that she knew her late father would have and then had many in tears by saying how much she missed her dad. Technically it wasn’t a speech as much as it was a one question interview. Yahoo! is reporting that Sydney closed with what she wished could have happened.

“I want nothing more than to see you come on stage and give the speech you were meant to give and give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. But that isn’t a reality. And I know his athleticism and talent made him extraordinary enough to make it into the Hall, but it is his passion and heart that make him truly legendary and deserving of this tremendous honor. Dad, I love you and I miss you. Congratulations, you made it.”

Junior Seau played 20 seasons in the NFL. He was selected fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 1990 draft. Seau would play 13 seasons in San Diego making the Pro Bowl 12 straight times. In April of 2003 the Chargers dealt Seau to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick. The Dolphins first game that season was against the Chargers. The San Diego Union Tribune quoted Seau as saying it was tough playing against his former teammates.

“It was the hardest game I had to play. I think it goes for everyone, Chargers included. The players there did a great job of blocking things out and coming out here and performing on the field. Obviously, it’s a struggle for all of us.”

Seau spent four seasons in Miami and then announced his retirement. Four days later he signed with the New England Patriots. He played three seasons under Bill Belichick before retiring for good. Less than three years after retiring Junior Seau committed suicide at his home in Oceanside, California. He was just 43-years-old. As reported earlier at the Inquisitr, studies were done on Seau’s brain after he died and revealed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition caused by repetitive injuries to the head.

Sydney Seau spoke beautifully in place of her father, but not having Junior Seau there was a stark reminder of the kind of sacrifices some players make to play the game they love. Brain injuries are still a big issue for the NFL and how they deal with this issue will speak volumes.

[Image by Joe Robbins/Getty Images]