Seau's children and ex-wife files wrongful death lawsuit in 2013 in San Diego Superior Court

The family of Pro Football Hall of Famer Junior Seau, who killed himself in 2012 and was later found to have a brain disease, reached a settlement with the National Football League (NFL) on Friday.

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in 2013 in San Diego Superior Court by Seau's children and ex-wife, as well as the trustee of his estate, alleged that the brain damage he suffered during his 20 years in the NFL led to his suicide.

One of the family's lawyers, Steve Strauss of the firm Cooley, said in a statement a "confidential settlement" was secured with the league.

The NFL did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the settlement.

Seau, a 12-times Pro Bowl linebacker who spent the bulk of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, died in May 2012 after shooting himself in the chest at his beachfront house in his hometown of Oceanside, California.

A study by a team of independent researchers released the following year found that Seau, 43, had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition that can only be definitively diagnosed through an autopsy.

In 2016, a federal appeals court approved a settlement between the NFL and a class of 5,000 former players over brain injuries, but the Seau family had opted out in order to pursue their individual action against the league.

Seau retired from the game in 2010 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. 

(With inputs from agencies.)