After Danny’s death, CTE research is Anita Frawley’s passion

Anita Frawley will commit a significant amount of her future to understanding and advocating for better research into the neurodegenerative brain disease that afflicted her late husband Danny Frawley.

Danny, the ex-St Kilda captain, former Richmond coach and media personality, died by suicide in September 2019 at the age of 56, following a long and public grapple with mental illness.

Danny Frawley with his wife Anita and their three daughters. Credit: Instagram

The Saints hall of fame member was subsequently diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy – or CTE – which is caused by repeated concussions and blows to the head.

This type of brain trauma can cause symptoms such as memory loss, depression, dementia, confusion, emotional instability, anxiety and aggression. It has also been found posthumously in champion Geelong ruck Graham “Polly” Farmer and Richmond player Shane Tuck.

Anita was speaking to the AFL’s In The Game podcast ahead of St Kilda’s round two match, which will be known as Spud’s Game: Time 2 Talk.

“With suicide, you think of the pain that Danny must have been in to take that step,” Anita said. “I believe a lot of that was the CTE, the rash decision-making. But for him to be in that state, there is no way he would do that, and know the hurt and the pain that he would cause his girls, his mum, his family, his mates, it is just unfeasible that he would do that.”

Anita said since her husband’s death she had travelled to the world-renowned Brain Injury Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York to gain a better understanding of CTE.

“It [CTE and concussion research and advocacy] will be my passion down the track,” she said. “I am probably the most knowledgeable person in Australia on CTE.

“There is a lot of research to be done but when you live with someone, you know, you just know, this is more than just mental health issues. I can remember vividly standing in that kitchen and looking out and just saying, ‘who is this man?’, ‘that is not the man I married’, ‘and what happened?’. He was just so different. The man that would exercise and never be late for an appointment … he knew there was something not right.”

She said the way acts of “bravery” on the football field were lionised within the industry needed to change for the safety of players.

“The AFL is trying, they have started, but there is a long way to go, and I am watching. I am really determined, and I want to bring it to the grassroots level, because you want to be able to put kids out there with the best chance.

“Everyone valued it [toughness] as such a big part of the game, but it isn’t now. These boys are so athletic, so skilful, 10 times more than what Danny was back in the day. Let’s focus on that. And change the way we talk about it. ‘Oh, he is so brave backing back into a pack’. No. It is dangerous. Let’s change a few things, and it has to come from the players.”

Anita also revealed she had a heart attack on the day Danny died while she was telling her daughter Keeley via phone in the United States what had happened.

The AFL recently committed to investing more money into concussion research.

They have also enforced a rule that forces a concussed player sit out for a minimum of 12 days before playing again.

Coronial inquests into the deaths of Tuck and Frawley are ongoing.

Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and beyondblue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au)

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