In February this year, Melbourne AFL Premiership player Angus Brayshaw announced his retirement after scan results revealed microscopic changes in his brain following a concussion he had sustained in the previous football season.

The 28-year-old had missed much of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with concussion-related issues and had been undergoing rehabilitation during the off-season. 

“Concussion is a massive issue facing our game,” said Brayshaw, when announcing his retirement. “I hope this, a terrible result for me, can bring some positive outcomes for the future of player safety.”

Brayshaw’s medical retirement is just one example of the significant risk of head injury in the sporting arena. Concussion in sports is in the media spotlight and is an emerging area of compensation law.

It’s also gaining more attention across the insurance industry and is the focus of a mock legal trial at the upcoming Reinsurance Rendezvous conference in the Hunter Valley. 

Concussion on trial

The mock trial will focus on a hypothetical former professional athlete, who is bringing a claim against his hypothetical former sporting organisation.

Barristers Callan O’Neill, of 12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers, and Teni Berberian of 13 Wentworth Chambers, will act as the barristers for the hypothetical parties, and the session will hear from renowned concussion experts, including neurologists Dr Rowena Mobbs and concussion expert Dr Adrian Cohen. 

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