The tragic death of former West Coast Eagles premiership hero Adam Hunter has once again placed the AFL’s approach to concussion and brain injuries under intense scrutiny, after his closest friend accused football authorities of failing to protect him.
In an emotional open letter, Dave Andrews said Hunter’s story should serve as a wake-up call before more players face the same heartbreaking fate.
A friendship shaped by heartbreak
Hunter, who played a key role in West Coast’s unforgettable 2006 premiership triumph, died in February 2025 at the age of 43 after being found unresponsive.
A coronial investigation later concluded he died from methamphetamine-induced heart failure.
However, after his death, Hunter’s parents donated his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, where specialists confirmed he had Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts that can currently only be diagnosed after death.
The discovery has renewed concerns about the long-term effects of concussion in Australian football.
“He didn’t know what was happening”
In a heartfelt letter addressed to AFL Commission chairman Craig Drummond and senior football officials, Andrews said Hunter had unknowingly been living with the effects of CTE for years.
Recalling conversations after Hunter’s playing career ended, Andrews described how his lifelong friend had struggled to explain what he was experiencing.
He said Hunter once compared life to fighting against something that kept pulling him deeper under, without ever understanding the true cause.
Looking back now, Andrews believes those were the devastating early signs of CTE.
He argued the responsibility to understand and communicate those risks should never have rested with the players themselves.
Calls for greater accountability
Andrews strongly criticised comments made by AFL executive Laura Kane during ABC’s Four Corners investigation into concussion in football.
During the program, Kane said the AFL could not communicate every possible risk associated with the sport and described player safety as a shared responsibility.
Andrews rejected that position, arguing organisations—not athletes—carry the legal and moral duty to properly inform, protect and care for players throughout their careers.
He urged the AFL Commission and every club to treat brain health as an urgent responsibility rather than something that could be deferred.
Hunter among growing number of CTE cases
Hunter is now one of at least 33 former Australian rules footballers to have been diagnosed with CTE after death.
The growing list also includes several respected figures from across the game, further intensifying calls for stronger protections against repeated head trauma.
Researchers continue to investigate the relationship between repeated head impacts and neurodegenerative disease, while families affected by CTE hope increased awareness will prevent future tragedies.
A mother’s belief that more should have been done
Hunter’s mother, Joanne Brown, has also spoken publicly about her son’s diagnosis.
She said Hunter had endured countless heavy knocks throughout his football career and had privately feared he may have been suffering from CTE long before his death.
Brown also revealed the family had not been contacted by the AFL following the release of the Four Corners investigation, adding that she believes the league remains unwilling to fully confront the issue.
AFL says player safety remains the priority
The AFL has confirmed it will review Andrews’ letter once formally received.
In a statement, the league said protecting player health remains its highest priority and pointed to significant investment in concussion research and player welfare.
Officials noted that more than 30 rule changes have been introduced over the past two decades to reduce head impacts, with further measures—including reduced-contact training sessions across the AFL—scheduled to begin from the 2027 pre-season.
Even so, Hunter’s diagnosis has reignited difficult questions about whether those changes have come soon enough—and whether more can still be done to protect future generations of footballers.
