Junior Seau's Family Won't Speak at 2015 Hall of Fame Induction Due to Policy

Junior Seau was one of eight former NFL players who made up the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The induction ceremony will take place August 8 in Canton, Ohio, but the former linebacker's family won't speak during the event.

The Hall of Fame policy has caused a bit of controversy in recent days after it was first revealed by Ken Belson of the New York Times. Belson noted at the time that the Hall of Fame will only show a video of Seau's football career. The report mentions that Seau always wanted his daughter, Sydney, to introduce him if he was ever voted into the exclusive club:

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But the Hall of Fame does not plan to let Sydney or anyone else speak on his behalf. Instead, it will only show a video that will commemorate his career, while avoiding questions about his suicide in 2012 and the subsequent diagnosis of traumatic brain injury that doctors said they believed was brought on by hits to his head. Nor will the video mention the lawsuit that Seau's family has filed against the N.F.L., which is trying to curb injuries in active players and address brain disease in thousands of retired ones.

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On July 27, the Seau family released a statement stating they are disappointed in the NFL's decision to not allow Sydney a chance to speak, via Daniel Kaplan of the SportsBusiness Journal:

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The Seau family appreciates the overwhelming support for Sydney Seau to be able to accept Junior’s induction into the Hall of Fame live and in her own words. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame is unwilling to reverse its decision despite communicating to the family earlier this year that Sydney would be able to speak at the ceremony. Contrary to the most recent statement by the Hall of Fame, the family does not support the current policy that prevents family members from delivering live remarks on behalf of deceased inductees. However, the Seau family does not want this issue to become a distraction to Junior’s accomplishments and legacy or those of the other inductees. The Seau family never intended to use the Hall of Fame as a platform to discuss the serious mental health issues facing the NFL today which are most appropriately addressed in a legal forum. The Seau family looks forward to celebrating Junior’s extraordinary accomplishments at the Hall of Fame.

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Hall of Fame spokesman Joe Horrigan explained some of the rationale behind the decision to Belson:

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In the past, for deceased inductees, presenters spoke but Horrigan said they often repeated what was in the video, prolonging an already lengthy ceremony. So a few years ago, the Hall eliminated speeches in these cases.

"There was an acceptance speech for deceased players but it got redundant," Horrigan said. "The honor is supposed to be for the individual."

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Sydney told Belson she was initially disappointed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's decision.

"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 said. "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."

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated provided a statement from the organization:

In May 2012, Seau was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 43. He played 20 years in the NFL with three different teams, most notably playing 13 seasons with the San Diego Chargers from 1990 to 2002, when he was a six-time first-team All-Pro.

In July 2012, the National Institutes of Health found Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a brain injury linked to issues like depression, personality changes and irritability.

Following Seau's death, his family has spoken out against the NFL for failing to properly protect and help players who may be dealing with effects from head trauma, and they filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the league in January 2013.

The NFL did reach a settlement to resolve many concussion lawsuits in April 2015 that could result in the league paying out up to $1 billion over 65 years.

Seau's family will not get the chance to honor the legendary linebacker in front of a national audience. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and NFL are two separate entities, even though they have a working relationship.

There are a lot of ways to read this situation, but Seau does deserve his spot in the Hall of Fame. It may come under difficult and unusual circumstances, which will make August 8 sad and incomplete in some respects.