AFL exec's late call to grieving mother sparks criticism over concussion response

Joanne Brown, whose son Adam Hunter died in February 2025 and was later diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, told Four Corners that an AFL executive, Laura Kane, finally called her four weeks after a Four Corners expose identified 33 AFL players with CTE. Brown described the outreach as "too little, too late" and alleged the league had tried to conceal the brain-injury issue. She also condemned a Herald one outlet's report that a Geelong player with a concussion history signed a club-approved waiver releasing the club from liability, a document the club later discarded.

The AFL said it had not sanctioned the waiver and would warn other clubs against similar deals. The call came amid a WorkSafe Victoria probe into the AFL's player safety and concussion protocols, following a coroner's 2023 recommendation to reduce contact in training. Brown reiterated that the league had failed to act promptly on that recommendation.