Former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer was wounded on Tuesday night after shooting himself in an LA-area motel room, NBC News reports, in what Los Angles County sheriff's deputies and Kramer's ex-wife are characterizing as a suicide attempt. Kramer, 50, was discovered with a reportedly self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest after police responded to a welfare check request. Kramer's current condition has not been released. Marshawn Kramer blamed the incident on mental illness stemming from her ex's nearly 10 years in the NFL. "He is a very amazing man, a beautiful soul, but he has suffered depression since he was with the Bears," she explains.
"He's such a good dad and he would not do this to his son... This is brain injury," Marshawn Kramer continues. Erik Kramer retired from the league in 1999 after playing with the Falcons, Lions, Bears, and Chargers, per Bleacher Report. The Kramers lost their son Griffen four years ago to a heroin overdose; he was an 18-year-old high school quarterback at the time. At least two former NFL players, including Junior Seau, have been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy after committing suicide. The brain condition can cause depression and suicidal thoughts, and can be caused by repeated concussions, per the CDC. (Seau was just inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously; his daughter gave his acceptance speech in a hotel room.)
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