First case of brain disease for NZ international player

• Published date: 04 May 2024
• Author: Liam Napier
• Publication title: Daily Post, The (Rotorua, New Zealand)

The family of the player in question do not wish to have his identity made public at this time, but a paper released by the New Zealand Medical Journal yesterday states he represented New Zealand in rugby league during the 1960s and early 1970s, before retiring in his late 30s. He also played rugby union from 9 years of age and participated in high school boxing

By the end of his career, he is believed to have played dozens of matches for the Kiwis — both tests and non-internationals. He is also thought to have been a member of the famed 1971 team that savoured away test series wins against Great Britain (2-1) and France (2-0).

During his sporting career, he sustained multiple “minor” head knocks — one of which resulted in hospitalisation.

At the age of 64 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease based on motor features. At 70, he experienced other cognitive difficulties including apathy and low mood. Dementia developed over the latter part of his life, requiring hospital-level care.

He died in 2021 aged 79, and his family subsequently donated his brain to Auckland University’s human brain bank.

After post-mortem examination, researchers found the Kiwis International suffered from high-stage CTE which causes irritability, impulsivity, depression and memory decline. He is, therefore, the first New Zealand sporting international to be diagnosed with CTE.

There are three other publicly known cases of sporting-induced CTE in a New Zealand context. They include Justin Jennings, who died in the United States in 2020 aged 50 after a 22-year rugby union career. His diagnosis was made by Boston University’s sports brain bank.

Geoffrey Joseph Cooper, an amateur rugby union player who represented 12 clubs across three continents during a 57-year career, is another to have suffered from dementia and CTE.

Former Māori All Black Billy Guyton is the most high-profile case of confirmed CTE in New Zealand. After his suicide last year, his family donated his brain to Auckland’s sporting brain bank that was formed in 2019.

Auckland Hospital pathologist Clinton Turner issued the CTE diagnosis for Guyton — and the former Kiwis representative the NZ Medical Journal has released its study on, with Australian-based Michael Buckland confirming the findings.

Former All Blacks prop Carl Hayman is also suffering the debilitating effects of probable CTE after estimating he took 150,000 head knocks during his career. CTE diagnosis can, however, only be confirmed by post-mortem.

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