Source: theguardian.com | Repost Duerson Fund – 5/4/2022 –
In 2014 the AFL announced a study into brain injuries in players. No report has ever been published and the league is unable to answer questions.
The study was touted as groundbreaking, a “first” for the AFL.
The league was to embark on a multimillion-dollar research project involving the world-renowned Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and the AFL Players’ Association to examine the long-term effects of concussions on the brains of football players. It was an issue the league was under increasing pressure to address.
Former players had responded in “droves” to take part, an AFL Players’ Association press release boasted – “hundreds” reportedly came forward. They were keen to share with their former employers how head traumas suffered on the field were affecting their health into retirement.
But now, almost eight years later, mystery surrounds what became of the heralded study, and what happened to the data, including brain scans, collected from retired players who took part.