Inside Indiana Board

Incredibly sad, and even moreso when you consider the possibility that football could have been a factor.

I played in high school. I played at the same school as my dad. We were both letter winners, and he and I were both, I think, incredibly proud of that particular bond we shared. The sport taught me so much at that age about maturity and poise and responsibility and teamwork, about how to work hard both for yourself and to contribute to a larger whole. That's so much of what football is — individual focus building team success.

But I'm going to be honest (and this isn't just a reaction to Seau's death, the circumstances of which we do not yet know) — I would not let my son play football right now, if I were a father and he were of age. I would approach his upbringing the way my parents approached mine, encouraging every interest I had, supporting even my most whimsical curiosities. But given what we've begun to learn about football, and what it does to the brain at a basic and persistent level, I just don't believe I would let my son (or daughter, if she were so inclined) play football at any level. Not unless something drastically changes.

For those that like good writing and fantastic perspective, a story on the Seau suicide from Chris Jones of Esquire and ESPN's back page: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/opinion/jr-seau-dead-8546574