The AFL has pledged to consider introducing independent doctors at matches to diagnose head injuries as part of the Victorian coroner’s landmark report into concussion in Australian football.
The response follows hearings last year into the death of the former Richmond player Shane Tuck, after the coronial inquest was told Tuck had been hearing voices, had suicidal thoughts and was forced to stay in a psychiatric ward in the years before he killed himself at the age of 38 in 2020.
Tuck received repeated head knocks in his 173 AFL games and while competing as a professional boxer.
The AFL issued a written response to the coroner on Monday acknowledging the report and welcoming its recommendations, which it said will “form part of our ongoing process of consideration of potential improvements in our strategic approach to the prevention and management of concussion and other head trauma in Australian football”.
A key recommendation of the coroner’s report was for the league to introduce independent doctors at all AFL and AFLW matches, who would have a say alongside club doctors on assessing players with suspected head injuries.
The AFL said it was “liaising with contact sports globally and considering other matters to identify best practice for the role to be played by an independent doctor in collaboration with club doctors”.
The league said in addition to considering independent doctors, it was now implementing the recommendation to consider limiting contact training sessions at AFL and AFLW clubs.
The report recommended limits to contact training be introduced before the 2025 season.
The league has also pledged to continue working on education around concussion, including at community level.
The AFL’s general counsel, Stephen Meade, said his organisation reiterated its “deepest sympathies” to the Tuck family and noted their “immense contribution to research into concussion and head trauma”.
“The AFL continues to invest in, and support, research into concussion and repeated head trauma, including supporting the use of instrumented mouth guards by players, encouraging brain donation, and investing in the AFL Brain Health Initiative longitudinal research program,” he said.
The report, released in December, made 21 recommendations addressing the diagnosis of head injuries, education, the introduction of smart mouth guards, baseline testing of all players and funding for brain research.
The AFL Players Association also provided a response, saying it was open to contact training limits, but that other consequences of such a change should be considered before it is implemented. It supports the introduction of independent doctors.
Renee Tuck had told the coroner’s court in July of her brother Shane’s deteriorating mental health before his death.
“We will never be fully healed or set free from the experience of watching Shane being taken away from us and from himself slowly, and in such a cruel manner by this disease, unable to do anything to stop his pain and suffering,” she said.
“Shane hadn’t been himself for a long time, but we didn’t know what CTE was then. We also had just unknowingly entered a battle that we had no chance of winning.”
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
