What a useless flaccid bunch of tepid wishy-washy eunuchs this association is.
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How painkilling injections are allowed by our players got done for (allegedly) using peptides continues to blow my mind.
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Iâm upset that Richmond seemed to be mentioned more than Essendon.
Are we losing our click bait cred?
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Spongy floors in case he falls againâŚ
FWIW, I agree for the most part.
The AFLâs enough, is it really enough in terms of their previous obligations which we know only to well wasnât ENOUGH looking at the triparte agreement between club, the player and the AFL. IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure every player, is protected playing the game which in part is their creation. Changes made over the years by the AFL to ensure the game remains entertaining because after all it is about entertainment. That is what keeps the dollars rolling in and backsides on seats at AFL house.
Best evidence is available from the NRL and the American Football people, if the AFL ought to be doing more, then, they cannot blame the players for changes they have or havenât made to the game for their protection.
We know that any player who chooses to take on the AFL, better have a money tree in their backyard.
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Or be happy with a sweet sweet career opportunity within the AFL world, if they keep their mouth shut.
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The old âweâve come to an agreement trickâ and we canât discuss that topic any further.
Zantuck is only 36? Poor bloke. Thatâs no way to live your life. Trust he and the AFL can reach an agreeable outcome.
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And Richmond get fined $2m and lose draft picks for actual documented medical damage?
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Suing Richmond for stuff that happened 12 years, 17 operations and at least 2 footy clubs ago?
How many surgeons has he been through?
Why?
What were they trying to fix? How did they try and fix it? Why would it be Richmondâs fault and how can he prove it?
Why hasnât he been looked after by the AFLPA, leading up to now?
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He probably has been helped but even that help must be limited.
Some smart footballers can be set for life post footy. Others rely on suburban/country footy and apprenticeships, which you need to be fit and healthy.
If Zantucks body is rooted as in basically canât work itâs a bad situation for him. Even if ALFPA is paying the medical bills he has a lifetime ahead of him on a disability pension? Not sure how much extra $$ they can get from the AFLPA.
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Sure.
But is that even related to his footy? specifically the actions of his footy club doctor, 14 to 18 years ago?
He wouldnât be the first person whoâs had bad side effects from spinal surgery. Not by a very, very long shot.
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It sounds like Richmond have acted within the rules as far as the number of painkilling injections and record keeping goes.
Maybe this can be a catalyst for change in the way injury is dealt with and the permanent recording of the treatments received.
Not much help for Ty, though. Playing AFL would be ace but not if it meant living like an invalid post career.
If that spinal injury was sustained whilst working and then the surgery went bad, you would be covered by work cover and insurances. Permenant disability from work related incidents can give you hefty payouts.
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True. Heâd have to establish without doubt that the treatments he received during his AFL career are directly responsible for his current ailments.
That will be hard to prove. Particularly without records.
Does the AFL have a pension scheme for past players?
Yes.
But heâs not blaming one specific injury. At least not that I can see.
Heâs claiming debilitating chronic pain, caused apparently by painkilling jabs. Typically they use codeine I think, a low level opiate.
Then in the next breath he admits being put on weeksâ worth of opiates in hospital. Which is obviously different because⌠erm. M
And his lawyer quoting that well known legal precedent of âeveryone knowsâ.
And the AFLPA havenât heard from him.
Sounds like a fishing trip to me.
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The PA are meant to cover all your medical bills from any football related injuries.
No pension as such but I believe they will also help with education and training.
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I hope he cleans the league out.
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Because the AFLPA has always been a Claytonâs Organisation, thatâs why.
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John Barnes suffers from crippling memory loss, mood swings and epilepsy â symptoms that he believes are a direct result of head knocks during an AFL career spanning 15 seasons.
Key points:
- John Barnes retired in 2001 after a 15-year career playing for Essendon and Geelong. His epilepsy came on in 2012
- Barnes is now one of up to 100 former players involved in a planned class action against the AFL
- But NRL player James Graham says: âJust go and play Oztag if you donât fancyâ contact football
âItâs terrible. I canât shower or bath on my own, I canât cook, I canât drive a car, I canât be left alone. I have to be watched pretty much 24/7 â all the things people take for granted I just canât do,â said the 49 year-old retired ruckman.
Barnes, who played 202 games for Geelong and Essendon, said he was a shell of his former self and found himself dazed and confused after unexplained outbursts of rage.
âMy temperâs pretty short at the moment. The things I find myself doing, I donât really know why I am doing them to be honest. Itâs terrible âŚand gets worse by the day,â Barnes said.
He suffered his first epileptic seizure in 2012.
âComing back from the country races, and my best mate thought I was dead. We were just talking, and I just ⌠started frothing at the mouth, and he took me straight to hospital, but I thought Iâd gone,â he says.
Barnes is heading a planned class action against the AFL that he says more than 100 footballers have joined.
âAt the moment what they [the AFL] are doing is not working. How theyâve been able to get away with that for so long is what we are about â hockey and cricket offer workersâ compensation,â he said.
His medications alone cost hundreds of dollars a month, he said, and heâd had to give up his job driving a garbage truck, which he said he enjoyed.
âJobs are hard to get once they find out youâre epileptic â they donât want to know you. Compensation for things like that, you look at quality of life, which everyone else has got, which I havenât got.â
Barnes said the AFL had its head in the sand on the issue and he was happy to take the organisation to court.
âItâs getting pretty close to the numbers that we want; it could be happening pretty quickly, could be four weeksâ time to lodge it â we are ready to go,â Barnes said.
Some current sportsmen believed concussions were simply part and parcel of playing a contact sport.
âItâs my life, Iâll do what I want to â well within certain bounds â but whatâs the alternative? I kinda like what I am doing. [The] consequence of that sometimes is you get hit on the head,â said NRL prop James Graham, who plays for the St George Illawarra Dragons.
âJust go and play Oztag if you donât fancy playing league anymore, but I wouldnât get paid and probably wouldnât have as much fun anymore,â the 33 year-old Englishman said.
Neuroscientist calls for more action from all football codes
Neuroscientist Alan Pearce said he wasnât surprised former footballers were presenting with epilepsy.
âThereâs evidence to show the risk of a number of different conditions including epilepsy can occur as a result of a history of head trauma and concussions,â said Mr Pearce, an associate professor at La Trobe University.
He said many athletes and former athletes came to his research laboratory showing signs of epilepsy.
âRepeated concussions or even repeated sub-concussive hits can manifest itself over decades â someone who you wouldnât think would get epilepsy or seizures then starts to show uncharacteristic signs of brain seizures,â he said.
He said he backed calls for more action on the issue from all sporting codes.
âWhile we canât stop the chance of someone being concussed, what we really need to do is more research into the outcomes and how people respond and recover,â Mr Pearce said.
He said longer rest periods should be introduced, and cultural change was needed.
âWe need to change the culture so people are not going to say, âI am fine, I need to go back and play, I donât want to let my team mates downâ â to allow them to have healthy playing careers as well as quality of life after they retire,â he said.
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