West Coast star Adam Hunter's 'grieving best mate' slams AFL leadership over player brain health

The best friend of former West Coast Eagles star Adam Hunter has directly accused the AFL Commission of failing in its duty of care to players, particularly concerning the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

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You have failed him.

Dave Andrews, Hunter's close friend, penned a five-page letter to the AFL Commission, chaired by Craig Drummond, stating that more must be done to shield current and future footballers from CTE. Hunter died last year after suffering from the disease, which is linked to repetitive head impacts and can only be diagnosed posthumously.

Andrews' letter was a direct response to AFL executive Laura Kane's statement on a "Four Corners" report. Kane had suggested that the league's job "is not to communicate every single aspect of risk that exists in our game" and that risk communication is a "shared responsibility." Andrews vehemently disagreed, calling Kane's position "untenable" and asserting that the "duty is on the organisations, not on the players, to inform, protect, and provide safe systems of play."

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our job is not to communicate every single aspect of risk that exists in our game

Drawing a stark parallel to the James Hardie asbestos scandal, Andrews warned the AFL Commission and club boards that they are in an "analogous position." He argued that just as the company knew about asbestos dangers but failed to warn workers, the AFL is aware of the progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease linked to the sport's core activity and is choosing "minimisation rather than proactive disclosure and protection."

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I am not a lawyer, but I know enough to tell you that the position Ms Kane articulated on national television is untenable. The weight of scientific evidence linking repetitive head impacts to CTE is substantial and growing.

Andrews has also sent letters to AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, AFL Players Association boss James Gallagher, West Coast Eagles chair Elizabeth Gaines, and chairs of ASIC and WorkSafe Australia, urging them to act. He emphasized that duty of care should not be a discretionary matter but a fundamental obligation.

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The duty is on the organisations, not on the players, to inform, protect, and provide safe systems of play. Ms Kane's statement on Four Corners is directly inconsistent with this obligation at every level of the game.