Former Demon Shaun Smith, who last year revealed his mental health struggles due to multiple concussions, has received an unpresented insurance payout of $1.02 million. The insurance company from which he took the policy accepted that Smith was "totally and permanently disabled" due to the head knocks he suffered as a player.
Smith, 51, was interviewed on Australian TV and said, "I'm just happy that it's finally been recognized. I just hope that the AFL listen, because it's people's health at Of his condition he said, "I'm a pretty easy-going guy, and I was getting pretty angry at the drop of a hat. Then I started forgetting a lot of things, my short-term memory especially ...It just goes on and on, and it doesn't make it much fun for people living around me."
The AFL maintains their stance that rules since Smith played have been changed to protect players from head knocks and concussions such as Smith endured. New guidelines for the 2020 season were also put in place to, as the AFL said, "... reflect our ongoing conservative approach in managing concussions at the elite level. These guidelines will continue to be reviewed based on expert medical advice and research."
The NFL in the USA has faced lawsuits from numerous past players over their past handling of concussions and care for ailing retired players.
Source: yahoo.com
Article last changed on Friday, January 15, 2021 - 12:07 AM EST