Concussion law suits ticking time bomb for AFL says former Richmond club doctorMichael Warner
Herald-Sun
April 25, 2015 A FORMER club doctor has revealed how his insistence on resting concussed players contributed to him losing his job.
Amid warnings of a looming multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the AFL, ex-Richmond doctor David Marsh has come forward to detail his experiences with players suffering from head knocks.
Marsh says he was dumped as the Tigers’ chief medical officer in the early 1980s for attempting to protect players from returning too soon.
“There were times when there was pressure, but you had to put that person’s health first and foremost,” Dr Marsh told the Herald Sun yesterday.
“You just had to stick to your guns. I didn’t have concussion tests and fancy things that they have now ... but I used to take it very seriously and I think some clubs were a bit cavalier in their approach.
“The thing that I used to say is we can do knee reconstructions, ankle reconstructions, shoulder reconstructions, but I haven’t heard yet of a brain reconstruction.
“The coaching staff and senior administration put pressure on to get players to resume quicker than they should have.
“I think every club doctor would have been under the same amount of pressure.”
Asked if his strong stance on concussion cost him his job at the Tigers, Dr Marsh said: “It was a frequent issue, let’s just say that. It was a factor.
“I used to say that I refused to play injured players, and to me significant concussion was a significant injury.
“The brain is like a jelly in a wooden box and when you whack it the jelly can wobble for up to 12 days — that’s why players need to be rested.”
He said future legal claims over concussions were inevitable.
“It’s going to happen ... it’s a ticking time bomb for the AFL,” he said.
A US judge this week approved a massive settlement between the NFL and 5000 former players who will each receive payouts of up to $5 million as a result of head trauma sustained during their careers.
Veteran AFL player agent and concussion crusader Peter Jess believes it is only a matter of time before a class action involving hundreds of former VFL/AFL players is launched.
Jess believes the number of concussions — major and minor — suffered by AFL players could be more than 500 a year.
The Herald Sun revealed on Thursday that at least two players have agreed to advanced brain scans this season after suffering serious concussions in the first three rounds.
The voluntary testing at Melbourne’s Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health is part of a league study into the causes and long-term effects of head knocks.
Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel and Tom Lonergan, North Melbourne’s Leigh Adams, Adelaide’s Brodie Smith and Sydney’s Luke Parker have all been heavily concussed this season.
Bartel estimates he has suffered 10 concussions throughout his AFL career, including two serious episodes in 2011.
A number of former players including dual Brownlow medallist Greg Williams, Hawthorn premiership ruckman Ian Paton and Western Bulldog Matthew Robbins have came forward in recent years to reveal their struggles with mental health since hanging up the boots.
Canadian neuropsychologist Dr Alain Ptito, from the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, has previously told the Herald Sun there is “little doubt’’ depression and sport-acquired brain injuries are related.
Dr Marsh is a former Victorian of the Year for his efforts after the Bali bomb attacks when he helped the wounded and dying at a Kuta hospital.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/concussion-law-suits-ticking-time-bomb-for-afl-says-former-richmond-club-doctor/story-fnelctok-1227319301375
