“American football player O.J. Murdock committed suicide” says the headlines. He was reportedly found in his own car just outside his Alma-mater in the city of Tampa in Florida inflicted with a gunshot wound that is believed to be self-inflicted. He is the sixth National Football League (NFL) player in two years who committed suicide. He was only 25 years old. It is now widespread, especially in social networking sites, that Murdock was found no life inside his own car outside the high school where he used to attend classes in Tampa on July 30, 2012. Police investigation come up with findings that the cause of his death is a gun shot wound he inflicted himself. This suicide of Murdock is considered a trend in NFL since he serves as the most recent Tennessee Titans and the fifth NFL athlete to have committed to get his own life in the last 2 years. Many people in the NFL sports worry that this disturbing trend signifies the mental condition of the NFL athletes. The trend is accounted to a variety of reasons or factors, one of them is the head trauma caused by taking several hits.
Upon knowing the news of the suicide, his teammates are both saddened and shocked as most of them have already grown close to Murdock. The team points out that the loss of Murdock is a difficult time for all of them. They also join hand in hand to with their prayers and thoughts for his family and for his friends to with the tragedy. They remembered the time when he was still on the verge of recovery from injury that sidelined Murdock during the last season. Which is why, the news puts them into the state of shock and astonishment of the reason behind the incident.
Why would a person want to take his own life? Murdock’s death has sparked debate among the football community and enthusiasts as well concerning the possible damage that football can do to one’s brain. Studies have found that repeated concussions that players get during their football careers can cause brain problems which elicit deep concerns about the sport. Those who have suffered a concussion are more likely to experience memory loss, blurred vision, nausea, confusion, even unconsciousness. Its long-term effects include depression and early dementia. A study by the University of Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes discovered that retired 20.2 percent of retired NFL players who suffered at least three concussions were diagnosed with clinical depression.
It was reported that O.J. Murdock sent a series of messages that are heartbreaking to his loved ones and friends before he took his own life. One of them is his former coach, Al McCray whom Murdock thanked for all his help. It might be inappropriate and unfair to speculate about the cause of his death, but football may have something to do with it. It is widely recognized that players who are forced not to play the game, whether due to retirement or injury, are more prone to develop depression. Murdock spent the last football season on the Tennessee Titan’s reserve list.
THE WANDERING ITINERANT 