I remember when I was 6 years old and my brother used to go seek out guys that were 13 to come over and play football against me while he was the ’permanent quarterback.’ I didn’t know exactly what the age difference was, but I was already playing against older guys.

Seau recalls an early childhood dynamic that helped shape his competitive identity: being routinely matched against older, stronger boys before he fully grasped what the age gap meant. The anecdote frames adversity as normal and even formative—his brother’s “permanent quarterback” role suggests a family game structured to challenge the younger Seau, forcing him to adapt, toughen up, and learn by competing above his level. In the larger mythology of elite athletes, this kind of story functions as an origin narrative: natural talent is present, but it is honed through early exposure to higher standards and physical mismatch, foreshadowing Seau’s later reputation for intensity and fearlessness on the field.