Former West Coast defender Brad Sheppard is suing the AFL, the Eagles, and two of the club’s doctors for medical negligence — after he was left with long-term concussion symptoms following his decorated football career.
In what could become another watershed legal challenge surrounding the league’s treatment of brain injuries, the 216-game defender has hired a law firm specialising in personal injury and medical negligence to launch a case in WA’s Supreme Court.
The writ, filed late last week, claims damages, interest and costs for “personal injuries suffered … during his employment with the Australian Football League and the West Coast Eagles Football Club from 25 November 2009 onwards”.
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“Such accident, injuries, loss and damage having resulted from the negligence and/or breach of contract and/or breach of statutory duty,” the writ states.
The named defendants are the AFL, the Eagles, and Doctors Gerard Taylor and Alex Strahan.
No other details of the allegations are listed in the writ. But it does separately claim against all four defendants – saying they were each negligent and breached a duty during Sheppard’s time in the league.
The West does not suggest that there is any liability arising for any of the defendants. The claims in the action will have to be determined by the Court unless they are settled by the parties.
Dr Strahan departed the Eagles at the end of last year, after more than 12 years at the club.
A decorated medical official, Dr Strahan had also worked as the team physician for the Perth Wildcats as well as a member of the Australian Football League Medical Officers Association.
He was the team physician at the Eagles for more than a decade and oversaw the club during the 2018 premiership victory.
Sheppard had separate concussions that season against Carlton in round 12 and Fremantle in round 22 and was left with lingering issues.
He pulled the pin on his AFL career in 2021 due to medical advice at just 30.
In March 2023, he told the ABC how those concussions had impacted him immediately and for months afterwards.
“That shook me for six months,” he said.
“The first two months I couldn’t even get my heart rate up over 100 without having head spins, and my concentration levels just weren’t there, my ability to focus on anything. I was just constantly tired.”
Later that year, it was reportedly Sheppard was still struggling intensely with symptoms, leading him to leave a job at a car dealership in Broome.
The news of Sheppard’s legal action comes just a day after Collingwood forward Josh Carmichael was medically retired following multiple concussions led to a recommendation from the AFL’s independent panel.
He followed Melbourne premiership player Angus Brayshaw, ex-teammate Nathan Murphy, and Western Bulldogs draftee Aiden O’Driscoll, in retiring this year because of persistent concussive effects.
A string of victims of AFL concussions will tell their stories at a “Making Sport Safe” forum to be held in Melbourne on Friday.
And a group of former players have also launched a class action against the AFL and their former clubs for their negligent management of head traumas over their careers.
AFL spokesperson Jay Allen confirmed the league was “aware of the matter and will abide by the court’s directive”.