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Former AFL star Koby Stevens has lifted the lid on the incredibly restrictive contract he had to sign after he was medically retired back in 2018.
Stevens played 91 matches for West Coast, the Bulldogs and St Kilda before being forced to retire after persistent concussion issues.
When players are medically retired, they are forced to sign an agreement which prohibits them from ever playing footy at the top level again.
‘One of the hardest things during that period is when I finished, I had to sign a contract,’ Stevens told The Howie Games Podcast.
‘I’m never allowed to play footy again in Australia.
‘For a kid who had a football in his hands since he was four years of age, it ripped my heart out.’
Koby Stevens (pictured) has revealed he felt like his heart had been ripped out when he was forced to sign a contract in the closing stages of his AFL career
The former star (pictured with his sister) has endured an awful run with concussions
Stevens was medically retired in July 2018, with the remaining portion of his contract spent on medical bills.
‘I got the rest of my contract, for that year… which was nothing, I spent it all on medical fees,’ he added.
‘All of a sudden, you’re never allowed to play the game you’ve played your whole life.
‘It’s wild.’
The 34-year-old has since revealed he suffered 15 head knocks across his career.
‘Those early ones, I wasn’t too bad, they were just headaches and blurred vision. I had – over my career – 15 proper ones,’ he explained.
‘There was a period at West Coast where I had chronic headaches… it was in the back of my head and wouldn’t go away, like a hammer banging against my head.
‘It wouldn’t go away.’
Stevens is pictured during his time with St Kilda. He suffered 15 serious concussions
The 34-year-old (pictured right) has opened up about the shocking way his career ended
Before Stevens became aware of his significant concussion dramas, he was petrified of learning the results of important brain scans.
‘I was sh***ing myself [before the results],’ he added.
‘I didn’t want to do it, but someone said, ‘If you had a chance to see the train coming, wouldn’t you want to know?,’ he said.
Stevens manages his concussion on a day-by-day basis.
