AFL's Concussion Crisis Exposed
· news
The AFL’s Concussion Crisis: Too Little, Too Late?
The Australian Football League (AFL) has long prided itself on being one of the world’s premier sporting competitions. However, its handling of player safety and concussion protocols has been woefully inadequate.
At the heart of this scandal is the story of Adam Hunter, a former West Coast Eagles star who died with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive hits. His mother, Joanne Brown, has spoken out about her anger and disappointment at the AFL’s lack of action in the face of mounting evidence.
According to Mrs. Brown, an AFL executive, Laura Kane, made a phone call to her after the Four Corners investigation exposed the scale of the CTE crisis. Ms. Kane downplayed the league’s failure to reach out sooner, saying that clubs “handled” grieving families well. However, this response was met with incredulity by Mrs. Brown, who pointed out that her son had been dead for 17 months and that the AFL should have shown some basic humanity in its response.
The AFL has attempted to deflect blame onto the clubs and players, a classic case of passing the buck. As Mrs. Brown put it: “They play for you. You’re the AFL. They play for you.” The reality is that the AFL has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its players, and it has failed miserably in this regard.
The recent revelations about Geelong player Jake Kolodjashnij’s waiver agreement are equally disturbing. A club-approved document waived his legal responsibility for future on-field head trauma, signed off by Geelong’s board, which included current AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond. This makes the agreement all the more egregious.
The AFL’s response to these revelations has been predictable and inadequate. In a statement, the league and the AFL Players Association said that the waiver had not been approved and would be removed. However, this comes too little, too late for many in the football community who are still reeling from the consequences of the CTE crisis.
The AFL’s failure to act on the coroner’s recommendation to reduce contact in training back in 2023 is a damning indictment of its priorities. It has now been three years since this recommendation was made, and yet nothing has been done. The lack of action is a travesty.
To move forward, the AFL must prioritize player safety above all else. This means investing in concussion protocols, reducing contact in training, and providing better support for players who are struggling with head injuries. It also means holding itself accountable for its actions, rather than passing the buck onto clubs and players.
The story of Adam Hunter’s CTE diagnosis is a stark reminder of the human cost of the AFL’s negligence. His mother’s words will haunt us all: “It’s just disgusting.”
Reader Views
- RJReporter J. Avery · staff reporter
The AFL's concussions crisis is not just about player safety, but also about accountability and governance. The league's focus on deflecting blame onto clubs and players sidesteps the question of whether its own leadership is complicit in this crisis. What's striking is that this issue isn't new - concussion protocols have been inadequate for years - yet the AFL has done little to address it proactively. A more pressing concern now is how the league plans to overhaul its governance structure to ensure that player welfare is prioritized above all else, rather than being an afterthought.
- CSCorrespondent S. Tan · field correspondent
It's time for some hard truths: the AFL's concussion crisis is less about what they don't know and more about what they're willing to ignore. The revelation that Geelong players were forced to sign waivers waiving their responsibility in case of future on-field head trauma should send shockwaves through the league. But here's a crucial detail missing from this exposé: the complicity of clubs' medical teams, who knew full well the risks but failed to act. Until we address this institutionalized culture of negligence, the AFL will continue to prioritize winning over player safety.
- ADAnalyst D. Park · policy analyst
While the AFL's handling of concussion protocols is rightly being called into question, we should also be scrutinizing the broader sports landscape that prioritizes winning above player safety. The NFL's CTE crisis has been unfolding for years, and yet we're still seeing the same inadequate responses to repeated warnings about head trauma risks. The AFL must take a more proactive role in advocating for policy changes at the national level, including stricter concussion protocols and better support services for affected families. Anything less is a cop-out.