Edison High graduate Lynell Hamilton played college football at San Diego State. So, the 26-year-old former member of the New Orleans Saints witnessed first-hand the iconic status former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau had in the city.
Hamilton’s favorite restaurant in San Diego is Seau’s, a Polynesian surfer sports bar. I’ve been there. It’s great.
Seau committed suicide on May 2, just two years removed from his splendid 21-year career in the NFL. Seau didn’t leave a note, so we don’t know the state of Seau’s mind when he shot himself in the chest. We can only speculate.
“He was Mr. San Diego,” Hamilton said. “He was a loveable guy, too. He was one of those guys you could walk up and talk to. He would accept anyone.
“It’s a scary feeling of what do you do now when you’re out of football. It takes time to really shake it off. The NFL is such a business. You don’t know what’s going to happen one day to the next. You always have to have a Plan B. I have no problems. I just always say it was a blessing. Everybody’s different. I’m just thankful I could play and get to the NFL.”
Hamilton is a free agent, having played for the New Orleans Saints from 2008-10. He soon will move to San Diego where he will be an assistant football coach at San Diego State.
