Concussion casualty and four-time premiership star John Platten signs as plaintiff in AFL damages case
BROWNLOW medallist and concussion casualty John Platten has joined former players John Barnes and Shaun Smith in a Federal Court damages action against the AFL.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
BROWNLOW champ and concussion casualty John Platten has joined a Federal Court damages action against the AFL.
Platten, 54, is the third retired player to sign as a plaintiff in a court stoush set to rock the game.
“John went to hospital 10 times for concussions and always played the next week,” lead lawyer Greg Griffin told the Herald Sun yesterday.
CONCUSSION FIGHT: BARNES LAUNCHES AFL COURT ACTION
BRAIN LESIONS: SHAUN SMITH ON SHOCKING CONCUSSION TOLL
VERY SCARY: PLATTEN OPENS UP ON CONCUSSION FEARS
AWARENESS: AFL TAKING CONCUSSION MORE SERIOUSLY
FROZEN IN TIME: HAWTHORN’S BRUTAL 1989 GF WITH GEELONG
“He was a gladiator because that’s what they had to do — and a lot of them are paying a terrible price for that now.”
The four-time Hawthorn premiership star estimates he was concussed 36 times throughout his playing career.
In an interview with the Herald Sun two years ago, Platten said his short-term memory loss was “very scary’’ and wondered whether he was experiencing the early effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dual Brownlow medallist and AFL Hall of Famer Greg “Diesel” Williams has emerged as a backer of the litigation.
“It’s not about me, it’s about all the blokes out there who have problems,” Williams said yesterday.
Williams, 54, will not be a plaintiff but is supporting past players battling with post-career neurological issues.
Platten joins former Essendon and Geelong ruckman John Barnes and retired Melbourne and North Melbourne high-flyer Shaun Smith as plaintiffs in the case.
Griffin, a veteran commercial lawyer and chairman of A-League club Adelaide United, said writs would be lodged with the Federal Court in the first half of next year.
“The VFL/AFL have known for 40 years about the dangers associated with allowing concussed players to continue to play,” Griffin said.
“And only up until very recently has there been any attempt to protect the wellbeing of these players.
“The problem the AFL has got is that the medical evidence has been around for decades — everybody knew about it — it’s just like the NFL in the United States.
“But the AFL chose to accept a contrary medical position, which was that there was no linkage between returning to the field after concussions and subsequent brain injury.”
Griffin said his legal team knew of dozens of former AFL players suffering from post-career neurological damage.
He said many were reluctant to speak up because of the stigma and risk to employment.
“Over the last three or four years I think there has been significant acknowledgment by the AFL that they had do do something,” Griffin said.
“I’ve known Platts for 25-30 years and he’s always been am absolutely happy-go-lucky bloke ... but he says life is now just a little bit more difficult.
“The concussion tests used to be waving the finger and the smelling salts; ‘Where are you?’ — ‘I’m at Princes Park’; ‘Which quarter?’ — ‘Third’; ‘You’re OK’.
“The only time he did not go back on to the field was in the 1989 Grand Final because he was so badly smashed that he went to the middle and the doctor said: ‘What are you doing?’ and he said ‘I’ve got to go and get a shower and go to the motorcade’.”
“We tend to underplay things because it’s the Australian way, but a lot of these guys are suffering very badly now for what happened to them in their playing careers.”
Platten played 258 games for the Hawks between 1986-98.
Originally published as Concussion casualty and four-time premiership star John Platten signs as plaintiff in AFL damages case