When I heard former [intlink id=”13″ type=”category”]Chicago Bears[/intlink] safety Dave Duerson died on Thursday, I didn’t pay much attention.
People die every day.
Things changed on Saturday, however, when it was revealed Duerson committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.
He was 50.
Fans of the Green Bay Packers will remember Duerson as the backbone of the ’85 Chicago Bears Monsters of the Midway defense, arguably the best defense ever assembled. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champion, with the ’85 Bears and the ’90 Giants, who he played one season with.
If there’s anything good to come out of this, it’s that Duerson’s brain is being donated to science, so it can be studied for abnormalities related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease found in people who have suffered repeated brain trauma.
No. I was never a fan of Dave Duerson, but he was a competitor and he played a key role in the greatest rivalry in professional football in the ’80s.
For that, I respect him.
R.I.P. #22.