Former West Coast Eagles defender Adam Hunter has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that can only be confirmed after death. His family revealed the findings this week, six months after the 43-year-old’s sudden passing south of Perth.
Hunter, who played 151 games for the Eagles and was part of their 2006 premiership side, had battled a series of injuries during his career and later admitted to his family that he feared he had developed CTE.
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Following his death, his parents chose to donate his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, which identified stage two of the disease.
Family’s hope for change
His mother, Joanne Brown, told the ABC that Hunter endured “countless sub-concussive blows” throughout his playing days and believed there was little he could do about it.
“He thought it was too late for him, so he might as well keep playing,” she said. “We just hope that something can come out of the donations … [and] it can help young players in the future to find a cure before it kills them.”
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Initial coronial findings suggest Hunter’s death was linked to heart failure brought on by methylamphetamine use, though investigations remain ongoing. His partner, Latisha Yacoub, has previously spoken of his struggles with addiction, a symptom often associated with early-onset CTE.
Hunter is one of several former AFL players, including Graham “Polly” Farmer, Danny Frawley, Shane Tuck and Heather Anderson, to be diagnosed posthumously with the disease in recent years.