PHOENIX: Junior Seau was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, a bittersweet reminder of the ebullient linebacker who took his own life in 2012 after battling brain disease.

At the NFL Honors awards ceremony in Phoenix, on the eve of Super Bowl 49, Seau headlined a 2015 Hall of Fame class that also included running back Jerome Bettis, defensive end Charles Haley, wide receiver Tim Brown and guard Will Shields.

Seau was the lone first-ballot enshrinee.

He earned six All-Pro selections and 12 Pro Bowl appearances in his 20 year career.

Throughout the build up to the Super Bowl, former coaches and teammates recalled Seau with affection and sadness.

Seau died in May of 2012 at the age of 43 after shooting himself. Doctors who performed post-mortem tests said he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that can be caused by concussions and other blows to the head taken during an NFL career.

His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL in 2013 saying the league hadn’t done enough to protect players from head injuries — an issue the league has yet to fully get to grips with even with new rules to reduce helmet-to-helmet hits and a monetary settlement for former players battling the effects of such injuries.

“He was a phenomenal player, teammate, friend,” New England quarterback Tom Brady said of Seau, who spent his last four NFL seasons with the Patriots after 13 seasons in San Diego and three with Miami.

“He brought enthusiasm every day to practice,” Brady said. “He had a love for life and he’s missed by all of his family and friends, and certainly by me and the guys that had a chance to be around him.”

In other awards handed out on Saturday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers beat out Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt to take home the Most Valuable Player award, voted on by media members and tabulated by the Associated Press.

Rodgers, 31, added a second MVP award to the one he captured after the 2011 season.

Rodgers led the league in touchdown to interception ratio — 38 TDs to five interceptions — in the regular season, finishing second in passer rating and yards per attempt and third in touchdown passes.

He was the only quarterback to finish in the top three in all four of those categories.

He received 31 of the 50 votes, while his closest challenger Watt received 13.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and teammate DeMarco Murray also figured in the voting, running back Murray ending up with Offensive Player of the Year honors and Watt capturing the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis received the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his commitment to community service and performance on the field.

Davis, a four-year team captain, totaled 100 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three passes defended this season for the Panthers.

He and his wife, Kelly, founded the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation dedicating to providing and promoting free programs that enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged children and their families.