Junior Seau was remembered this weekend during a special Pacific Ocean tribute in which hundreds of people paddled their boards out in California.
The crew of several hundred people took to the water Sunday and paid their respects to the late NFL player by reportedly chanting his name and number while huddled in the water and offering up a prayer in front of his beachfront Oceanside home.
The tribute seemed fitting as the former NFL player who committed suicide Wednesday was an avid surfer.
The Los Angeles Times reported that participants in the seaside memorial included Seau’s former teammate Drew Brees, who played quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, according to the Associated Press.
Seau died at 43 years old Wednesday from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to his chest.
Wednesday, Seau’s girlfriend found his body inside a bedroom and called police.
“My God, my boyfriend shot himself! Oh my God!” she reportedly told cops. “I just came home from the gym,” she reportedly said during the 911 call, “and he’s in our spare bedroom, and he shot himself, and it looks like he shot himself in the chest.”
Seau reportedly sent his three children and ex-wife a text message before he killed himself. The text message ended with “I love you.”
Following his death and after police concluded his death was a suicide, Seau’s family agreed to allow experts to study his brain. But this week, the family is revisiting their decision.
“The Seau family is currently revisiting several important family decisions and placing them on hold in order to confer with their elders,” according to a statement from Pastor Shawn Mitchell, reported LA Times. “All possibilities are being considered, but none will be acted upon until the Seaus arrive at an agreed upon direction.”
