JOE KINNEAR'S DAUGHTER SAYS 'FOOTBALL KILLED HIM' AS AUTOPSY REVEALS CAUSE OF DEATH AT 77
Joe Kinnear's daughter has claimed that 'football killed him' after an autopsy revealed that his brain was affected by a dementia believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head.
Kinnear played more than 200 games during his career for Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton. After retiring, he spent another 31 years as a coach, manager and director of football before resigning from Newcastle in 2014.
He was diagnosed with dementia a year later and died from complications of the disease in April at the age of 77. Now an autopsy has been completed after his family joined a number of claimants taking legal action against the sport's governing bodies.
Kinnear's family have decided to donate his brain to a study examining a possible link between dementia and a career in profressional football. They have now revealed that the former Wimbledon boss had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is a form of dementia, but definitive diagnosis can only occur at autopsy. Kinnear's brain was examined by Dr Willie Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, who diagnosed CTE.
Now his daughter Russ Doffman has pointed to the amount of times he headed a football during his professional career as the cause. She revealed that they decided to donate his brain after speaking with the family of Manchester United legend Nobby Stiles.
“He was a defender, so it was from heading the ball…[the autopsy] gives you closure, but thinking about it, we just feel angry again because I feel like his career has killed him," she told BBC Sport.
“We learned a lot, but weren’t surprised by the outcome. It does give you clarity. I knew mum would want to. She didn’t even hesitate, and I think Joe would have wanted it as well, definitely."
“If I hadn’t spoken to John [Stiles] about donating his father’s brain I wouldn’t have known about it. We want to help other families and want to help medical research.”
Stiles had also been diagnosed with dementia and he died in 2020, with son John allowing Dr Stewart to examine his father's brain, receiving a similar diagnosis. Kinnear's autopsy report is expected to form part of the the claimants' case in their legal action.
They allege that the defendants - including IFAB, the Football Association, the English Football League, and the Football Association of Wales - failed to take reasonable action to protect players from injury caused by repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows.
The authorities have previously claimed they cannot comment on legal proceedings. But the FA has said it plays a "leading role in reviewing and improving the safety" of the game, including supporting "multiple projects in order to gain a greater understanding of this area through objective, robust and thorough research".
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2024-06-25T11:26:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd