SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — Family and friends of Junior Seau share their thoughts about the Chargers legend in a new film.
The film takes viewers back to Seau's college playing days at USC.
"He would absolutely destroy the guy in front of him who was trying to block him,” said Seau’s USC teammate Tim Ryan.
"Junior is in every quarterback's face, said an announcer in the film. “He is something special from Oceanside, California.”
The new 30 for 30 film called "Seau" gives insight into those early years.
“But when you look at the first year he was eligible for a uniform, he really did not excel,” said Ryan. “Really that first year he only played special teams.”
The film’s director Kirby Bradley grew up in San Diego and loved Seau.
“This film looks at Junior's whole life,” said Bradley. “It starts with his childhood in Oceanside and explains how much that community meant to him.”
"He knew how to react and respond to people to make them feel special,” said Junior’s daughter Sydney Seau. “It's like everyone was his best friend.”
The film shows just how likable Seau was as we hear from former teammates.
"It's hard to describe what Junior Seau meant to this community,” said former Chargers teammate Drew Brees. “That guy defined San Diego; he was the people's champion.”
In the film, we also hear from Seau himself.
"A human being wasn't made to run full speed, smash each other in the head, but that's the game, that's part of the game,” said Seau.
Then we see the downside of Seau’s life.
"He was out of money, he was gambling a lot, so it's hard to see that,” said Bradley.
The film is available to view now on ESPN Plus and streaming on demand.