Broncos icon Corey Parker has dropped a bombshell admission, revealing that he is confident that he has symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE has recently become a prominent issue across the sporting world, including Australian and overseas sports such as the NRL, AFL, NFL and other high-contact sports.
It is caused by repeated blows to the head, such as tackles, which eventually cause nerve cells in the brain to slowly die.
Speaking on the issue after the medical retirement of Angus Brayshaw, an AFL star for the Melbourne Demons, Parker dropped a bombshell stating that he has symptoms of CTE after a storied career in the NRL.
“This CTE, it's the word that obviously gets thrown around and rightly so, it is real,” Parker told SENQ Breakfast.
“I've got no doubt, I have no doubt whatsoever over my tenure as a rugby league player that I have symptoms, I have symptoms of CTE.
“But it's something that you can't really get a grasp on until obviously post-mortem, you can try and manage different things but the damage is done isn't it.”
Predominantly a lock forward who was also one of the NRL's best goal-kickers, and always among the competition's hardest workers, Parker played 347 games for the Broncos between 2001 and 2016.
He also played 19 games for Queensland and 13 Tests for Australia during a glittering career.
The representative great admitted that he, along with other players, would ignore symptoms of concussion to continue playing. He explained why this was true, stating that it was a badge of honour to remain on the field.
“It was a badge of honour if you could get up after being concussed and play on, we actually looked at it like, ‘Oh this guy is so tough',” Parker continued.
“But there was points in my career where I knew I was concussed, I knew I was dazed and towards the backend of my career, I would actually by myself time on the ground and grab a shoulder or leg until my head was right to then get to my feet.
“I knew if I got to my feet I'd stumble, which is definitely not the right way to be thinking.”