Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns suffered from seizures as a result of the head knocks and concussions sustained over the course of his decorated 14-year career, a Senate inquiry has heard.
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The devastating news was revealed by Dr James Stewart through the Senate inquiry into concussion and head trauma in contact sports.
Dr Stewart, who is on the Medical Advisory Board at Levin Health, said he treated over 3000 patients, including AFL Hall of Famers, as well as Johns, rugby league’s eighth Immortal.
“I’ve got over 3000 patients, some of them are very high-profile, some are ex-NRL, I’ve got some Immortals, I’ve got AFL Hall of Famers on my books,” Dr Stewart told the inquiry.
“I’ve got Joey Johns on my books, who’s an NRL Immortal – he’s happy for me to talk about it.
“He was having seizures because of repetitive concussion. I started treating him three years ago.
“Since then, not one seizure, not one seizure.
“He reports to me all the time when I speak to him, how much better he’s feeling, how good his concentration is, how good his memory is.
“I’ve got lots of ex-AFL players on my books and they all report the same thing.”
Johns revealed in 2019 that he was diagnosed with epilepsy, and mentioned at the time in an interview with brother Matthew on Fox League that his history of concussion may have contributed to the diagnosis, and temporarily lost his drivers’ licence after suffering an epileptic seizure in Yamba on the NSW north coast in December 2018.
Dr Stewart appeared alongside representatives from the AFL, the AFL Players’ Association, as well as the lawyers acting on behalf of former AFL players currently suing the league for compensation over the management of their concussions and head injuries.
Representatives from the families of late AFL players Danny Frawley and Shane Tuck, as well as medical professionals, concussion researchers, and other sporting bodies were also scheduled for the day’s hearing.
Dr Stewart made a written submission to the inquiry highlighting the benefits of medicinal cannabis for concussion treatment.
“It is clear to me from my practice as a General Practitioner specialising in medicinal cannabis that can play a profound role in treating patients with traumatic brain injury symptoms,” the submission reads.
“I have seen medicinal cannabis play an important role in preventing traumatic brain injury in patients. These qualities make medicinal cannabis important, especially for athletes participating in contact sport.”
Dr Stewart made a series of recommendations to the Committee, asking for funding for a trial encompassing the nation’s major contact sporting codes.
“I witnessed patients’ memory and concentration improve, brain fog and headaches disappear and in some cases I have seen spasticity improve. All following administration of medicinal cannabis,” he said of patients using medicinal cannabis.
“What is also notable is that most of these patients were still on, or had tried conventional medicine and were not getting benefits or experiencing unwanted side effects.
“I also believe using cannabidiol can assist a person to better cope with a collision or trauma that is likely to give them traumatic brain injury symptoms. This preventive capacity could be of significant benefit for athletes playing collision sport.
Stewart told the inquiry that the nature of Australia’s sporting landscape made it a prime candidate for concussion research that to date has not been undertaken to the degree he feels is necessary.
“We have high contact sports, lots of them – AFL, AFLW, NRL, NRLW, one season with all those four codes, we could pump out the most unbelievable data you’ve seen and save so many lives,” he said.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, who chairs the committee, joked about the novel repurposing of cannabis, often and widely used for recreational purposes.
“I can see the headlines in the newspapers already! The AFL, players running around all doped up,” she joked.
The inquiry comes as over 100 former AFL players are suing the league in a class action led by former Melbourne star Shaun Smith, Crows premiership star Darren Jarman and the family of the late Shane Tuck, and both major football codes reckon with the existential ramifications that the revelations of head trauma research may have for their respective codes.
