JONATHAN Brown has graphically detailed the toll the various head injuries he sustained had on his career in his autobiography.
The inspirational Brisbane Lions star has revealed that club doctor Paul McConnell was prepared to breach doctor-patient confidentiality if Brown didn't retire following last year's collision with Greater Western Sydney defender Tom Bugg.
It was the latest in a series of head clashes that had marred Brown's career, including three within 12 months from the start of 2011.
In his book to be published on Thursday, Brown tells of a no-holds barred conversation over a coffee with the long-time Lions doctor, who he also considered a good friend.
"I had a bit of a crack at the doc. I told him he was exaggerating everything. I was too young to be written off," Brown wrote.
McConnell asked Brown how many concussions he thought he had suffered over his career. Brown thought it might have "only been five or six", but when McConnell said the figure was significantly more than that, the tone of the conversation changed.
Not only did McConnell warn that one more concussion would likely lead to permanent damage, he wanted permission to discuss Brown's condition with Lions management.
"That's when I knew I was done," Brown wrote. "It finally occurred to me that if Paul believed his professional responsibility was to step in and do something, then I had no option but to retire."
In the book, Brown graphically describes each of his major head injuries while playing footy, and in an interview with this week's AFL Record said he didn't want to gloss over the dark moments of his career when telling his story.
"It would be a pretty boring book if all you did was bang on about the good times, so there’s some adversity there as well. My wife reminds me that some horrific things happened there for a time … they were just part and parcel of the job," he said.
Brown now commentates for Fox Footy and appears on On the Couch every Monday. He said the stricter protocols with regards to concussion were a welcome and necessary addition to the game.
"I’m the first person to put their hand up to say I continued playing in games when I shouldn’t have," he said.
"The rules were different then, and we wore it as a badge of honour. The players need to be protected from themselves.
"The fabric of the game is that it's a collision sport, and accidents will happen like they did to me."
Jonathan Brown: Life and Football
With Adam McNicol
Penguin Books
RRP: $45
