The AFL, the concussion doctor and the groundbreaking brain study that never appeared

The study was touted as groundbreaking, a “first” for the AFL.

The league was to embark on a multimillion-dollar research project involving the world-renowned Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and the AFL Players’ Association to examine the long-term effects of concussions on the brains of football players. It was an issue the league was under increasing pressure to address.

Former players had responded in “droves” to take part, an AFL Players’ Association press release boasted – “hundreds” reportedly came forward. They were keen to share with their former employers how head traumas suffered on the field were affecting their health into retirement.

But now, almost eight years later, mystery surrounds what became of the heralded study, and what happened to the data, including brain scans, collected from retired players who took part.

Despite repeated efforts, the AFL and the Florey Institute have declined to answer questions about it when approached multiple times by Guardian Australia. Key researchers involved have also declined to comment. Meanwhile, Guardian Australia has discovered the 2014 groundbreaking study is among other studies funded by the AFL that are being queried.

Central to the concussion studies and policies is Dr Paul McCrory, the world-renowned neurologist and concussion expert who was chair of the international Concussion In Sport Group (CISG), and the lead author of four of the CISG’s last five Consensus Statements on Concussion in Sport. These are highly influential papers which the AFL and other professional sports leagues use as the basis for their concussion guidelines and assessment protocols.

Until January 2021, McCrory was the AFL’s key concussion adviser, and the AFL has said