- Former AFL star Adam Hunter died in February
West Coast Eagles premiership player Adam Hunter has been posthumously diagnosed with the deadly brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) following his tragic death in February.
The development comes after Hunter’s former partner Latisha Yacoub recalled the harrowing final moments of his life at a coronial inquiry earlier this month.
Meth-induced heart failure was confirmed as the cause of the footy star’s death.
Following his passing, Hunter’s parents donated his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank (ASBB) for research.
A subsequent examination of Hunter’s brain revealed several lesions consistent with stage II CTE.
Symptoms include anxiety, depression, rage and poor impulse control.
West Coast Eagles premiership player Adam Hunter has been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) following his death in February
Hunter’s former partner Latisha Yacoub recalled the harrowing final moments of his life at a coronial inquiry earlier this month
It comes as leading neurologist Associate Professor Rowena Mobbs had an important message for professional footy stars – CTE symptoms are not an early death sentence.
Mobbs stressed they can be successfully managed by medical experts.
‘We need to tackle CTE. There is great hope for those living with this slow form of dementia to have good quality of life, and to maintain their work, family, or social roles with the right assistance,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘The first step is to talk with your doctor about concerns. ‘CTE in my opinion is the number one issue facing contact and collision sports.
‘To prevent it I call upon the four main football codes to come together on an action plan to tackle CTE. ‘
Meanwhile, Hunter’s drug use – which escalated after he retired from the AFL in 2009 – was no secret.
And due to his ongoing addiction, which included meth, Hunter had multiple houses repossessed.
He also died bankrupt after selling most of his football memorabilia to pay drug dealers.
Following his passing, Hunter’s parents donated his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank for research (Hunter is pictured after the 2006 grand final victory)
Even when Hunter played at state league level in Western Australia, his desire to excel on the footy field remained sky high.
In the coronial inquiry, Yacoub said Hunter was using elective androgen receptor modulators when turning out for South Bunbury, which help promote muscle and bone growth.
He was also taking the fat-burning drug clenbuterol.
Star swingman Hunter played 151 games for the Eagles over a decade-long AFL career from 2000 onwards.
Hunter kicked a career-high 29 goals in 2006, including a crucial major in the final stages of that year’s epic one-point grand-final win over the Sydney Swans.
