FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Junior Seau has more to worry about right now than Clinton Portis and the rest of the Washington Redskins offense.
The New England Patriots linebacker is also thinking about his hometown of San Diego, which has been ravaged by wildfires. Nearly 460,000 acres have burned in California this week, and losses in San Diego County alone total at least $1 billion.
Seau said Thursday that at least one of his homes has burned and a restaurant he owns is being used as a shelter.
“It’s definitely not a normal week,” said Seau, whose family, including his three children, live in San Diego.
The 18-year veteran spent his first 13 seasons with the Chargers, earning 12 straight Pro Bowl selections. Seau has several houses in the San Diego area.
Seau returned to San Diego on Tuesday, the Patriots’ off-day this week as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Redskins. He helped relocate his parents to a beach-front home he owns in an area outside the danger zone.
“They’re all in trouble,” Seau said. “Not just my family and friends, but the whole community. To see that on TV and to know that everything that they’re showing is familiar but unfamiliar due to the fact that it doesn’t look the same from when I left it.
“You have all the stories about your friends – they’re losing everything. You can’t really understand what is actually transpiring daily. Lives are changing, and they’re in desperate need of help.”
Seau said he turned a restaurant he owns in San Diego into a shelter for his employees’ families. About 100 people were staying there.
“Hopefully that can be resolved and everyone can go home and we can start business and everything can get back (to normal),” he said.
Add A Comment