Report: Seau family not allowed to speak at HoF

Junior Seau (Charles Krupa/AP)

When Junior Seau is posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month in Canton, Ohio, his family will not be allowed to speak at the ceremony, according to a report from the New York Times.

Seau’s daughter, Sydney, was originally selected as Seau’s presenter but the Hall of Fame does not plan to let her or anyone speak on his behalf. Instead, a video tribute will shown to honour his 20-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.

“It’s frustrating because the induction is for my father and for the other players, but then to not be able to speak, it’s painful,” Sydney told the New York Times. “I just want to give the speech he would have given. It wasn’t going to be about this mess. My speech was solely about him.”

Seau’s induction comes just three years after the legendary linebacker committed suicide with a gunshot to the chest at the age of 43, which was linked to what doctors called a traumatic brain injury.

His widow, Gina, admitted that she was “very surprised” by the decision, which is made by the Hall of Fame and not the NFL.

“We’re not the N.F.L., but the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” David Baker, the executive director of the Hall of Fame told the New York publication. “Our mission is to honour the heroes of the game and Junior is a hero of the game. We’re going to celebrate his life, not the death and other issues.”

According to Joe Horrigan, a spokesman for the Hall of Fame, Seau’s suicide and brain injury has nothing to do with the decision to only show a video.

“There was an acceptance speech for deceased players but it got redundant,” Horrigan told the New York Times while pointing out that no one spoke for the late Les Richter in 2011. “The honour is supposed to be for the individual.”

Seau’s video tribute, which will include an interview with his daughter — will be five minutes long, two minutes longer than the tributes for living inductees.

Seau made six All-Pro teams, was a member of the league’s All-Decade team of the 1990s, and won the defensive player of the year award with San Diego in 1992.

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