The AFL Player’s Association has denied any knowledge of a secret contract reportedly signed by a current player with their team that requires them to accept legal responsibility for concussion related injuries.
News Corp reported on Thursday the deal was struck two years ago after the player suffered concussions early in their career, but wanted to continue playing. They opted not to reveal the name of the player or club.
AFL headquarters in Melbourne. Getty
The report adds that it might not be the only contract of its kind in the AFL, but the league will now likely crack down and stamp out the possibility of it happening again.
It comes as the AFL struggles to find insurance cover for players who suffered career-ending injuries from concussion. Zurich, who offered the cover for many years, pulled out of doing so in 2026.
SEN has reported that the club is Victorian, and that the AFLPA, when contacted on Thursday, had no idea about the existence of the secret deal. It is currently unclear what level of knowledge the league itself had about the arrangement.
The Age’s chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal was scathing in his assessment of the AFL’s handling of player welfare.
“The AFL is excellent at coming out on social causes when it doesn’t need to spend much money, we’ve seen a lot of this over the years on various progressive social causes, but when it comes to looking after its players, there’s a big question as to whether it is taking concussion seriously enough,” Sakkal told Nine’s Today.
Long-time concussion advocate Peter Jess stated he was stunned to learn that such a contract existed in the league.
“My initial reaction is one of total disbelief how a public company can behave in this manner to its most valuable commodity, which is the players,” Jess told SEN.
“It’s just unbelievable that they’re not thinking about making sure that these guys have got a safe workplace.
“If you try and contract out their basic human rights then what you do is create a position no better than modern day slavery.
“It’s about safety first, safety second and safety third.”
Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox was also asked about the revelation on Thursday morning.
“I can only speak on behalf of our club, but concussion is a very serious issue,” Cox told SEN on Thursday morning.
“We understand that we’ve had players that have had their careers finished through concussion and the importance of the wellbeing of the player.
“I understand that there is always a risk when you do step on the football field, but our job is to make sure that we try and mitigate that with technique and things you need to control it as much as you can.
“It’s going to get to an interesting stage now where the legality and liability and where that lies. It was an interesting read.”
Numerous AFL players have retired in recent years due to concussion-related injuries, including West Coast champion Jeremy McGovern, Melbourne star Angus Brayshaw and Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy.