Former players to tell ‘harrowing’ stories of concussion at ‘Making Sport Safe’ forum

Former players including Shaun Smith and John Barnes will tell their stories at a ‘Making Sport Safe’ forum focusing on the danger and damage of concussion, writes MARK ROBINSON.

Former AFL star John Barnes will talk about concussion at a ‘Making Sport Safe’ forum on Friday. Picture: Jay Town

Victims of AFL concussions will tell their harrowing stories at a “Making Sport Safe” forum to be held in Melbourne on Friday.

Headlining the forum, which hopes to play a role in minimising concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in Australian rules and collision sports, is an interview with Sam Peters, the author of Concussed, which has been nominated for UK sports book of the year.

Also speaking is former AFL strategy adviser John Hennessy, on global developments in concussion and CTE, Dr Will O’Brien from Monash University’s department of neuroscience, former Carlton official Ian Coutts – on the use of the King-Devick concussion test – and concussion activist Peter Jess.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon was invited but is not able to attend the forum and the AFL Players Association did not respond to an invitation.

It’s hoped that several Melbourne-based club presidents will also attend.

It is the second forum run by the Community Concussion Research Foundation, but the first to focus on safety and mitigation.

Former AFL star John Barnes will talk about concussion at a ‘Making Sport Safe’ forum on Friday. Picture: Jay Town

The past players and partners who will share their experiences with concussion include Ted Fidge, Peter Venables, Susan Rudolph, John Barnes, Shaun Smith and Alan ‘Dizzy’ Lynch.

“Their stories are compelling,’’ Jess said. “It’s frightening for these victims and wives, some of them have been put in mental institutions. If we don’t listen to them, we just don’t learn.

“People have to understand there’s no good head-knock – it’s brain trauma.”

Peters is one of the most-quoted concussion campaigners in the UK and Europe and in his book, he targeted the science and medicine of one-time world concussion expert, Professor Paul McCrory – also one of the AFL’s leading concussion advisers.

“Peters dispels the McCrory myths on CTE,’’ Jess said. “What we want to do is address safety, which then influences analysis of the current return-to-play protocols within the AFL family.

“Every football club – and every parent – should attend the forum to understand that we cannot continue to accept: that concussions are an automatic by-product of playing this sport.”

The forum will be held at the Community Hub at the Dock, 912 Collins St in Docklands, from 10.30am.

Originally published as Former players to tell ‘harrowing’ stories of concussion at ‘Making Sport Safe’ forum