American Football: Junior Seau suffered brain disease

Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (AP)

Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide in May, had a debilitating brain disease, likely from 20 years of hits to the head, researchers claim.

Seau, 43, died after shooting himself in the chest. He played for the San Diego Chargers in a 20-year career.

A study by independent researchers found that he had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death.