Junior Seau drives off cliff

Courtesy of CNN:

Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau was arrested for domestic violence in Oceanside, California, in the early morning hours Monday, hours before he drove his car off a cliff in nearby Carlsbad, authorities said.

The domestic violence incident began when Oceanside police were called to Seau’s residence to investigate a report of an assault late Sunday night, police said. The alleged victim is Seau’s 25-year-old live-in girlfriend, who had minor injuries that didn’t require medical treatment.

The girlfriend told police that Seau assaulted her during a verbal argument, authorities said. Seau wasn’t at the residence when the police arrived, but he later agreed to return home after he called his girlfriend and spoke to officers on the scene, police said.

Shortly after midnight, Seau drove back home. He was arrested at 12:20 a.m. Monday and charged with spousal assault with injury, police said. He was released on bail, police said.

Some time later Monday morning, Seau drove his white Cadillac SUV off a cliff and landed on the beach at Carlsbad, police said.

He was taken to nearby Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment, authorities said.

Law officers are investigating the cause of the accident, in which Seau was the vehicle’s only occupant, police said. Carlsbad is 35 miles north of San Diego, California, where Seau played most of his career.

The retired NFL star, who’s divorced and the father of four children, is also head of a namesake San Diego-based nonprofit organization, which has donated nearly $4 million for services and scholarships to children and young adults.

Drafted into the NFL in the first round in 1990 out of the University of Southern California, Seau debuted with the San Diego Chargers, establishing his Hall of Fame credentials as a starring linebacker and Pro Bowl staple.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/18/sports.nfl.player.cliff/index.html?hpt=T1