Dead AFL Star's Mother Accuses League of 'Cover Up' on Brain Injury After Delayed Contact From Executive | Australia News | ABC Australia (AU) | 01KZESKBQ654R78RVKYEX60QT3

Joanne Brown, the mother of the late West Coast Eagles star Adam Hunter, has accused the AFL of a brain injury "cover up," calling the league's handling of the issue "disgusting."

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too little, too late.

Mrs Brown's accusation follows a phone call from AFL executive Laura Kane, which she described as "too little, too late." The call came four weeks after a Four Corners report revealed Adam Hunter was among 33 Australian Rules players diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), exposing the scale of the AFL's brain trauma crisis.

Hunter was diagnosed with CTE after his death in February 2025. The Four Corners investigation has since prompted a WorkSafe Victoria investigation into the AFL concerning player safety and concussion management during contact training. Mrs Brown stated she had not heard from the AFL since her son's death and subsequent diagnosis.

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Oh, we thought the clubs handled this thing very well.

During the call, Ms Kane reportedly said the AFL had initially failed to reach out because clubs "handled" grieving families "very well." Mrs Brown countered that 17 months had passed since Adam's death, arguing the contact should have been made in the first month. Ms Kane acknowledged the feedback and stated she would forward it on.

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But they play for you. You're the AFL. They play for you.

Mrs Brown also criticized the AFL's slow response to a coroner's recommendation from 2023 to reduce contact in training. She questioned how many players had been affected in the three years since the recommendation, expressing frustration with what she perceived as the league's attempts to "cover up or make up."

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It's been 17 months since Adam passed, and said this should have been done in the first month.