The mother of late West Coast Eagles premiership hero Adam Hunter has launched a scathing attack on the AFL, accusing the league of a "disgusting" cover-up regarding player brain injuries after receiving what she described as a "too little, too late" phone call from a senior executive.

Joanne Brown, whose son Adam Hunter passed away in February 2025 and was subsequently diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), revealed that AFL Executive General Manager of Football Laura Kane recently reached out to her. However, the conversation left the grieving mother deeply unsatisfied and angry at the league's systemic handling of sports-related brain trauma.

A Delayed Response

According to Mrs. Brown, the phone call came long after her son's passing and subsequent diagnosis. Hunter, who played 151 games for the Eagles and was a pivotal figure in their 2006 premiership win, is one of dozens of past Australian Rules players confirmed to have suffered from CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head knocks.

"I said to [Ms. Kane], 'It's been 17 months since Adam passed,' and said this should have been done in the first month," Mrs. Brown said of the phone call. "I said, 'Why didn't someone call then?'"

Mrs. Brown claimed Kane justified the delay by stating the league assumed individual clubs "handled" grieving families well.

"I said, 'But they play for you. You're the AFL. They play for you,'" Mrs. Brown recounted. "She replied, 'Oh yes, I’ll take that on board and forward it on.' But it's too late. Too little, too late."

Frustration Over Safety Delays

The confrontation comes amid a widening crisis for the AFL. WorkSafe Victoria recently launched an investigation into the league’s player safety standards and concussion management during contact training sessions.

During the call, Ms. Kane reportedly assured Mrs. Brown that the AFL was working to improve player safety, including plans to reduce contact during pre-season training to limit repetitive head trauma. However, Mrs. Brown pointed out that a coroner investigating the 2020 death of former Richmond player Shane Tuck—who also suffered from CTE—had recommended reducing training contact back in 2023.

"I said, 'But wasn't that in 2023 that you were supposed to stop physical contact at training?'" Mrs. Brown said. "And she goes, 'Yes, but we're working on it.' I said, 'That's three years ago. How many players have been affected in those three years?'"

"She just waffled on... they're just trying to cover up or make up... and it's just disgusting," she added.

Waiver Scandal Sparks Further Outrage

Mrs. Brown’s anger was further fueled by recent revelations that Geelong player Jake Kolodjashnij, who has a history of concussions, had signed a liability waiver with his club. The document reportedly waived the club’s legal responsibility for any future on-field head trauma.

While Geelong has since discarded the waiver and the AFL claimed it did not approve the arrangement, the deal was originally signed off by Geelong's board, which at the time was chaired by current AFL Commission Chairman Craig Drummond.

"I felt disgusted, absolutely disgusted that that was allowed to go ahead," Mrs. Brown said. "How can that go ahead? And gutted in my heart. I know Adam would have done the same thing because you know how much they want to play, right?"

Following public backlash, the AFL and the AFL Players Association issued a joint statement clarifying that they had not approved the waiver and advised all clubs against entering into similar agreements with at-risk players.

Calls for Accountability

The criticisms from Mrs. Brown follow an emotional open letter sent to the AFL Commission last month by Hunter's close friend, Dave Andrews. In the five-page letter, Andrews accused the AFL leadership of failing in its duty of care to the players and pleaded for better education regarding CTE risks.

To date, Andrews has reportedly received no response from the AFL Commission. The AFL has been contacted for further comment.