In this climate the Victorian Coroners Court is considering the death of the former AFL player,Shane Tuck. Last week,ruling against the family’s wishes,Judge John Cain indicated he would not investigate what Richmond should or should not have done in treating Tuck on and off the field.
This narrowing of the issues is a mistake and occurs just as administrators from all major sports (and especially collision sports like all codes of football) are rushing to understand the short and long-term effects of concussion on players that can lead tochronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) a fatal degenerative disease of the brain.
CTE can only be determined at autopsy. It was present in Tuck and also other AFL stars,Graham Farmer andDanny Frawley.
The Coroners Court is unique in our system. Usually,a judge is a neutral umpire between two conflicting parties. A coroner plays an active inquisitorial role to find the manner and cause of a death.
After hearing all the evidence,the coroner delivers their findings and,importantly,often makes recommendations about how organisations might change their behaviour so that in the future similar deaths might be avoided. In other words,they directly affect public health and safety and can save lives in the future.
The scope of the inquest is up to the coroner. Unfortunately,in this case Judge Cain has rejected an expansive view that would allow a great deal of expert evidence to be given – not to lay blame but to improve our understanding of how collision sports can affect players’ health in the most profound and shocking way.