Shane Tuck’s widow wants Richmond’s ‘poor’ treatment of husband investigated

Peter Jess has called the Coroner’s decision not to lay blame over the suicide of Richmond star Shane Tuck a “lost opportunity” after his widow sought a probe into her husband’s treatment.

Long-time concussion campaigner Peter Jess has labelled a decision by the Coroner not to apportion blame over the suicide of former Richmond player Shane Tuck a “lost opportunity” to look into the damaging impact of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

An autopsy of Tuck — who took his own life in July 2020, aged 39 — revealed the former Tiger had the most severe case of CTE of any of the footballers found to have had the crippling neurological condition associated with head knocks.

Tuck was one of four ex-VFL-AFL players posthumously revealed to have suffered from CTE, along with Graham “Polly” Farmer, Murray Weideman and Danny Frawley.

Victorian Coroner Judge John Cain had been asked by Tuck’s widow, Katherine, to look into examples of how her husband had been “poorly and badly” treated by the football club, after claims he had been allowed to continue playing after concussion in his 173-game career from 2004 to 2013.

But the Coroner said that it wasn’t his role to apportion blame.

Judge Cain said he understood the concerns of Mrs Tuck and others, but added: “I’m not inclined to … embark on an exercise that involves me apportioning blame as you’re seeking to have me do in relation to what Richmond Football Club should or shouldn’t have done”.

A disappointed Jess said: “What has happened is that the Coroner is not going to apportion blame as to how the injury was created”.

A moments silence for Shane Tuck by Richmond after his death. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“From every past player’s point of view, it is an opportunity lost whereby the legal profession, the scientific and medical professions could come together and do a real deep dive into CTE.

“The Coroner says he wants to focus on the prevention and mitigation going forward, which I believe is a lost opportunity, where we could have had a very structured review of the causation of this disease and how it comes about and what damage could be created from it.

“If we don’t understand what has happened in the past, you can’t prevent what will happen in the future.”

Jess, who has been fighting passionately for years against the impact of concussion on sportsmen and women, said he feared for lower-level players as much as past and present AFL footballers.

“The debate around CTE is only going to get bigger rather than smaller,” he said. “Quite clearly, we know it is in AFL (footballers) intergenerationally and also now in sub-elite players, as well. We know there are cases of players who have suffered from it from the VFA, the major bush leagues and in fact from suburban football as well.

“We just don’t know the true extent of it, so this is just another lost opportunity.”

Tuck’s autopsy revealed he had a “severe” case of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition associated with head knocks that was also linked to late players Polly Farmer and Danny Frawley.

Lawyer Greg Griffin, for Mrs Tuck, told the Coroner’s Court of Victoria “it was the voices in his head that were telling him to suicide”.

“The suicide we say was causative of the onset of this debilitating illness of CTE … caused in a manner in which Shane Tuck was permitted to go not properly cared for during his lengthy contract with Richmond,” Mr Griffin told the directions hearing.

He said it was of “significant concern” to Mrs Tuck that the coronial probe was focusing on the AFL’s response to head knocks now and into the future, rather than looking to the past and what happened to the 173-game star.

The Tucks at the 2005 Brownlow Medal at Crown casino.

Mr Griffin said there were “clear guidelines” as to how concussed players should have been treated during Mr Tuck’s playing career from 2004 to 2013, with medical evidence showing a stronger propensity to suffering traumatic brain injuries and severe CTE if returned to the field of play.

“For the widow and many many AFL footballers who are watching this outcome with great interest … it is imperative for the coronial investigation to focus on what actually did occur at the Richmond Football Club and in other AFL clubs during that nine-year period,” Mr Griffin said.

But state Coroner Judge John Cain responded by saying he was being invited to “apportion blame” and “that’s not my role, frankly”.

Instead, Judge Cain said he believed there was greater utility in ensuring appropriate regimes for current athletes involved in AFL and boxing — Mr Tuck had five fights following his football career.

Shane Tuck with his wife Katherine Tuck at the 2012 Brownlow Medal. Picture: Getty Images

That decision came despite the court hearing Mrs Tuck would be “very very deeply distressed” if the investigation did not look into the past.

“That’s cold comfort to the widow of Shane Tuck, who has lost a husband and a father,” Mr Griffin said, before telling the court it was likely Mrs Tuck would no longer participate in the probe.

Mr Griffin said Mrs Tuck would not pay a lawyer to make submissions about the future of boxing and combat sports.

“The interest of my client is what happened to her husband and essentially it doesn’t appear this coronial inquest involves her any further,” he said.

“We will not be participating further if the position is what happened in the past stays in the past.”

The court heard Mr Tuck suffered sustained knocks to the head during his AFL career, while he suffered a concussion during one boxing fight.

However, Justin Brereton, for Professional Boxing and Combat, said athletes suffer head knocks more regularly during training, which is not regulated, rather than on fight night.

“It does seem a gap to me … that training isn’t covered,” Judge Cain said.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said: “We feel compelled to defend the highly professional medical staff that managed Shane Tuck throughout his career in the wake of the inflammatory allegations made at a coronial investigation. We are appalled at the suggestion our staff acted in a negligent or unethical way.”

Brothers Travis and Shane Tuck after playing an amateur game of football in Adelaide.

It has not yet been determined whether the probe into Mr Tuck’s death will be set down for a full coronial inquest, however time has been set aside in March for a hearing if required.

A Scottish expert, Prof William Stewart, has been contacted by the court to offer expert evidence on the regulatory regime of both the AFL and boxing.

The AFL this year doubled its mandatory break to 12 days for players who suffer concussion, while boxing has a 30-day lay off.

Richmond Football Club, the AFL, the AFL Players Association, Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions are all parties to the probe.

Originally published as Shane Tuck’s widow wants Richmond’s ‘poor’ treatment of husband investigated