Late West Coast star Adam Hunter becomes latest ex-AFL player to be diagnosed with CTEJake Santa MariaThe West AustralianFri, 29 August 2025 7:58AMCommentsCommentsEmail Jake Santa Maria
Adam Hunter has posthumously been diagnosed with CTE following the premiership star’s tragic passing.
Hunter died in February at just 43 with his mum and step-dad, Joanne and Rod Brown, donating his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank for research, having believed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The condition associated with repeated head trauma can only be diagnosed after death and has afflicted the likes of other late AFL greats, including Danny Frawley, Shane Tuck and Polly Farmer.
Hunter suffered multiple concussions throughout his playing career but was medically retired due to a chronic shoulder injury and continued to play footy until his passing.
Mr Brown revealed Hunter had considered hanging up the boots on multiple occasions but thought he was already too far gone.
“When you see your son run onto the football field and within five minutes he’s on the stretcher being carried off shaking and convulsing, it’s pretty upsetting,” Mr Brown told the ABC.
“But that’s the game.”
“We just hope that something can come out of the [brain] donations … [and] it can help young players in the future to find a cure before it kills them,” Mrs Brown said.
Preliminary findings into Hunter’s death indicated he died from methylamphetamine-related heart failure, but inquiries into his death are still ongoing.
The AFL is currently fighting a class action brought against it by former Geelong premiership player Max Rooke as a result of permanent and life-altering injuries due to the league’s negligence over concussions.
The AFL has said over the past 30 years it has made a number of rule changes to better protect players and reduce the risk of concussion.
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