RIP Dave Duerson

[Brad]

A sad day for us Bear fans. And he was only 50 years old.



Ex-Chicago Bears, Notre Dame DB Dave Duerson dead at 50 - ESPN Chicago

[toys2cool]

that sucks

[MIB41]

That is terrible. A sad loss. What a great contribution he made to the Monsters of Midway...

[saildog]

This has taken a disturbing turn. It could be that we might see some serious ramifications from this and if Mr. Duerson's assumptions turn out to be the truth....this will be a significant turn of events.

Mr. Duerson committed suicide in a deliberate manner and left specific instructions for an autopsy to prove his belief that his problems were related to injuries he sustained on the field.

I don't know what to make of this. Regardless of what comes to light, it is a sad story and it plays in to concerns that have been raised in the sport at all levels of competition...especially during this season.

Dave Duerson's suicide: NFL could face a turning point because of Dave Duerson's suicide - latimes.com

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...s-2221722.html

[Nostalgiabuff]

how sad. I don't know anything about this or about him, was this something he was trying to crusade and finally this was his last desperate measure?

[saildog]

how sad. I don't know anything about this or about him, was this something he was trying to crusade and finally this was his last desperate measure?

That is where I am torn on this issue.

It's weird, but a part of me wants the autopsy to vindicate his presumptions (for his family's sake) and will be amazed if that result could see the light of day, and the conspiracy-prone side of me says that if the truth is contrary to that, we have a conspiracy in the making (the absolute last thing I want to see).

A conspiracy (and that is what is what I fear to be brewing, given the nature of his death) benefits no one except those who can make a buck or two from it by covering it up and, on the other side of the coin, those who will benefit from the endless programs that can be made from the shadow of doubt that might result.

If the results are not 100% conclusive AND accepted across the board, we will be discussing this around the water cooler for years to come while the problem, if it is a problem, remains unresolved.

[Brad]

Not only am I a long time Bear fan but I also have season tickets so the death of ANY former Bear saddens me deeply. I have watched them play and met many of them in person and I used to go to training camp in Platteville, WI every year. Yes, Dave was having problems, most likely caused by numerous concussions that have afflicted him and other former players. In fact I remember when Merle Hodge had to retire because of this and it took him years to recover enough to even function.

This is nothing new as NFL fans have seen. I think this past season is the first one where players were not cleared to play after a concussion until an independent (not the team's) Doctor had checked them over. It happened to Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers as they both had to sit out a game. It has also led to the use of a new helmet this year that better protects against concussions.

Dave Duerson has donated his brain for study as have a number of other players including Hunter Hillenmeyer. Hunter was placed on IR and missed most of the season because of a concussion. For some unknown reason Dave must have felt the need to speed up the process by killing himself, which is horrible. I do hope that some good can come out of this and that he didn't die in vain.


Now let's see what the NFL does. Hopefully this is not swept under the carpet and over shadowed by the CBA and possible lock out discussions that are currently ongoing.