Photo: MANLY RL
A leading Australian neuropathologist says the level of brain damage a young league star had at just 20 years old should raise alarm bells about junior sports.
Promising Australian rugby league player Keith Titmuss died tragically of a heat stroke in a Manly Sea Eagles training session in November 2020.
His brain was donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank where neuropathologist, Dr Michael Buckland found signs of stage two Chronic Traumatic -Encephalopathy, or CTE.
He said he wasn't expecting to see that level of damage because Keith was only 20.
It comes after New Zealand player Billy Guyton, who died of suicide in 2023, was found to have had CTE in his brain.
He also says after talking to Keith's parents, it was clear CTE had developed from repeated head knocks that were not large concussive events.
Dr Michael Buckland is founder and executive director of the Australian sports brain bank.
