Dual premiership Sydney Swan Jude Bolton has shared his experiences of concussion.
Former Richmond midfielder Shane Tuck was this month found to have had the degenerative brain disease CTE, following his passing last year.
The link to concussive hits on the field has intensified, with late greats Danny Frawley and Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer also diagnosed with CTE post-mortem.
Bolton suffered six concussions throughout his career, and on Wednesday he joined SEN Breakfast to reflect on how he handled it.
“There were times when I wasn’t right. I got knocked out twice in one game and re-entered the field, and I wasn’t right for weeks,” Bolton said.
“I look back and go ‘that was so silly’ that I returned to play.”
Bolton made 325 appearances in red and white in a career stretching from 1999 to 2013, and saw perspectives and protocols progress throughout.
“Towards the back end of my career there was certainly a lot more awareness around it and guys were taking it a lot more seriously,” Bolton remembered.
“Early on, it was just a bit of a joke. Someone would get knocked out, you’d call them ‘candles’ or whatever and brush it all off.
“There’s a seriousness now about it. We want our footballers and sportspeople in general to be happy, healthy humans moving forward.”
Bolton has taken part in neuropsychological evaluations through the AFL, and has pledged his brain to research.
“Let’s get more research, and get more testing along the journey so we’re really armed with the best medical advice on protocols for sport.”