Paddy McCartin must consider retirement after latest concussions
A Sydney Swans star left hearts in mouths on Saturday, now fans are calling for the AFL to step in for the sake of his future.
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It’s time for Paddy McCartin to hang up the boots.
The Sydney Swans player left fans watching on with hearts in mouths after being left out cold against Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
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The terrifying scenes saw McCartin face down on the turf after a seemingly innocuous incident with Port’s Todd Marshall.
After contesting a loose ball on the wing, the Swans defender didn’t appear to cop a significant hit at all but fell limp onto the SCG turf.
He was instantly subbed out of the contest, replaced by Robbie Fox.
Swans General Manager of Football Charlie Gardiner told media at quarter time that McCartin was “alert and talking”, and “feeling okay”.
“We’re all very concerned about it, but he’s feeling okay and recovering well,” Gardiner said.
“We’ll take every precaution with him.”
The distressing footage of McCartin being helped from the field led to calls far and wide for the star to walk away from the game.
Former Geelong and Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins questioned whether the league should be the one to make the call on behalf of the Swans star.
“I think it does come to a point where enough is enough,” Jenkins said on SEN’s Sunday Crunch Time.
“We can’t quantify what it looks like for him in 10 years, in 30 years, and in 40 years. We just can’t tell him, ‘Look, you’ve got three more hits in you and then you tip over the edge.’ We can’t tell him that.
“And I think a telling aspect is the nature of how he became so wobbly last night. It didn’t look like a forceful blow on the ground … and yet he was left so dazed and so out of it.
“They’ve (the Swans) already done the right thing by him by taking him out of the game, but I wonder whether the AFL might step in and put their two cents in at the very least.”
Those calls come on the heels of leading concussion expert Dr Alan Pearce saying medical retirement should be considered.
“While I’m not privy to Paddy’s latest concussion, [given] his history of this injury, he needs his medical doctors to discuss with him the risks to his long-term brain health, and seriously consider retirement,” Pearce, a leading concussion expert and LaTrobe University professor, said to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s a very difficult decision for Paddy psychologically, and he would need support to deal with this, but medical retirement should be considered. Athletes need protecting from themselves.”
McCartin returned to the AFL ahead of the 2022 season after a panel of experts declared he was not more susceptible to concussions than any other player. McCartin suffered eight concussions during his time with St Kilda.
He has now suffered two in less than 12 months, sadly making those remarks look extremely questionable.
“The evidence shows clearly that a history of concussions poses increased risk for further concussion, the lower the impact force is required for subsequent concussion, the risk of worse symptoms, and risk of longer recovery periods,” Pearce said.
”If these sports espouse ‘the health and wellbeing of our athletes are our top priority’, then why do they let players continue to suffer brain injuries? It wouldn’t happen in other workplaces.”
Family friend and former AFL great Garry Lyon however believes the brakes should be pumped on those calling for McCartin to retire.
“I am not the spokesman for Paddy but I have spoken to him and the family today and he feels good today,” Lyon said on Fox Footy.
“He has a lot of decisions to make but let’s not race to try to be the first to try to retire Paddy. Speaking of interventions and trying to protect him from himself paints a picture that he is a rogue out there doing things on his own. He has a fantastic supportive family, he has a footy club right behind him. They will put his health at the forefront always, and let’s cut him some slack.
“He will have a day off today. (There are) big decisions to be made for him and his family and they will always make the right ones.”
Originally published as Paddy McCartin must consider retirement after latest concussions
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