It has been nearly one month since Junior Seau's tragic suicide, and those close to him are still trying to make sense of it.
USA Today talked to more than 50 of Seau's friends, family members, neighbors and former teammates in an attempt to understand why the former NFL great shot himself in his bedroom May 2.
In the report's most chilling moment, Seau's 11-year-old son, Hunter, recalled waking up at his father's home at 3 a.m. to let out his dog. When he saw Seau's bedroom light was on, Hunter ducked his head in the room and saw his father, sitting up in his bed, starting at a television that wasn't turned on.
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"Dad, are you OK?" Hunter asked.
"Yes, son," Seau said. "I'm fine."
Seau apparently had significant issues with sleep, a problem that went back at least seven years. Friends said Seau had insomnia, and four of them said he took Ambien, a prescription drug commonly prescribed for sleep disorders.
University of North Carolina concussion researcher Kevin Kuskiewicz told USA Today that sleep disorders are common among people who have experienced chronic traumatic brain injuries. It has been widely speculated effects of a 20-year playing career played a role in Seau's death.
The report laid out a timeline leading up to Seau's on-again, off-again girlfriend finding him dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. He attended a charity golf tournament hosted by former wide receiver Tim Brown two days earlier, and everyone involved said Seau's spirits were high.
This seemed to be a recurring theme. Seau didn't play the part of a depressed man. Despite financial issues tied to failed restaurant investments, Seau appeared to be happy and content.
"There was just no indication of any problem," said Hall of Fame offensive lineman Anthony Munoz, who saw Seau two weeks before his death at the USC spring football game. "It was the same old Junior I've known all these years."
