By Adam Cooper
The AFL has asked to be involved in how the suicide of former Richmond player Shane Tuck is investigated, telling a coronial hearing there could be implications for the sport.
Stephen Meade, the league’s legal boss, told the Coroners Court on Tuesday the AFL wanted to make submissions in respect of the draft scope of investigation.
He said the investigation could be “potentially very broad” and had “the potential to impact our sport”.
Former Tiger Shane Tuck was found after his death last year to have a severe case of CTE.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
The investigation into Tuck’s death heard that an earlier inquest into the death of former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley left “unexplored” questions about the risks of head trauma in sport.
Tuck’s history of head knocks suffered as a player would be considered as part of the investigation, and whether anything could have prevented his condition worsening.
Tuck was the third former footballer diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), after Geelong great Graham “Polly” Farmer and Frawley.
Tuck took his own life last year but an assessment by the Australian Sports Brain Bank found the 38-year-old had a severe case of CTE, a disease that shows correlations between numerous head knocks and mental health problems. The disease can only be diagnosed post-mortem.
Coroner Simon McGregor told a directions hearing on Tuesday the court wanted Tuck’s medical records, information from Richmond on his history of head knocks and the AFL’s concussion policies.
Mr McGregor said that despite a recent examination of Frawley’s 2019 suicide, there were some “unexplored” questions about the risks of head trauma and measures that could prevent long-term problems.
Gideon Boas, counsel assisting the coroner, said the investigation could also examine whether the rules and policies in football and boxing were adequate to address the risk of CTE; what roles the AFL and AFL Players Association should play to reduce the risk, and whether lessons could be learned from other sports.
AFL identity Danny Frawley.Credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Dr Boas said Tuck was the only one of the Australian Rules three confirmed CTE cases to have played in the modern era, when more was known about the impact head knocks had on players. However, he listed other recently retired footballers who had suffered debilitating problems linked to head trauma.
“That raises questions about what was known, what was done and what should have been done,” he said.
Tuck played 173 AFL games from 2004 to 2014 and had a boxing career from 2015 to 2017. His family watched helplessly as his mental health declined in the years before his death on July 20.
The Coroners Court investigation will examine the correlation between CTE and the head trauma he suffered during his sporting career.
The investigation is separate to a WorkSafe Victoria examination on whether the AFL had failed in the way it handled players’ head knocks.
The AFL and the AFL Players Association were last month urged by the coroner who examined Frawley’s death to encourage more players to commit to donating their brains for research.
Both organisations will file submissions in response to the proposed scope of investigation into Tuck’s death.
Mr Meade told the court the league acknowledged there was a potential link between head trauma and CTE.
The league this year introduced a mandatory 12-day break from games for concussed players.
Megan Comerford, for the AFL Players Association, said her organisation was meeting the Australian Sports Brain Bank on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
Tuck’s wife, Katherine, had a lawyer watching Tuesday’s hearing.
The coroner also revealed his brother was a psychologist with the AFL Players Association and had referred Tuck for medical appointments but never directly treated him. He gave the parties a fortnight to raise any objection to his involvement.
For help in a crisis call Lifeline on 131 114.
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