AFL legend Gary Ablett Sr has revealed a worrying diagnosis that he claims is related to head injuries suffered during his storied career.
Ablett, 61, is nicknamed « God » and is widely regarded as one of the best Australian football players of all time, and is regularly in conversation as the greatest ever.
But during a career which reaped 1031 goals, a Norm Smith Medal, three Coleman Medals, and four All-Australian jumpers, Ablett estimates he was concussed « eight or 10 times ».
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Now scans have revealed « significant structural and functional brain damage » in the sporting legend.
« I began getting headaches and pressure in the top of my skull around 2010, initially a few days a week, » Ablett told the Herald Sun.Herald Sun.
« It then led to depression, anxiety and extreme fatigue. Under the advice of doctors, I then had numerous scans to try and find the cause of headaches and skull pressure.
« From 2015 onwards, and almost every day, there were signs that things had changed, then about 12 months ago I started getting symptoms that alarmed me to the point where I contacted (my former manager) Peter (Jess), whom I’m aware has been a concussion advocate for a number of past players. »
It was Jess who helped organise a MEG scan at Swinburne Neuroimaging Facility in November, the results of which were grim.
Ablett is now seeing a psychiatrist monthly and has been prescribed new medication which is « helping reduce the headaches and improving my mood ».
The AFL is currently facing two class action lawsuits from former players who claim they have long-term health implications as a result of football-related concussions.
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