- Collingwood has made an incredible gesture to Nathan Murphy
- The defender was forced to retire at the age of 24.
- He has received a ‘remarkable economic gesture’ from the Pies
Nathan Murphy has received a “remarkable financial gesture” after the Collingwood star was forced to retire due to a series of concussions.
The 24-year-old defender announced his early retirement from football after receiving advice from a panel of medical experts.
Murphy suffered his tenth concussion during the Magpies’ grand final win over Brisbane, his final game in professional football. Over a seven-year career, he played 57 games.
Even though Murphy’s immediate future is under threat, Collingwood quietly extended his contract last year until 2025, and following their decision this week they decided to pay out the remainder of his contract.
“That retirement came with a remarkable financial gesture by the Pies, which I think will amount to a million dollars,” News Corp’s Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle show.
Nathan Murphy has received a ‘remarkable financial gesture’ from Collingwood
The 24-year-old was forced to retire from football due to a series of concussions.
News Corp reports that Murphy could receive up to $1 million from the club
‘The contract for this year and next. So, while he was mulling retirement over the summer, they gave him one more year on his contract.
‘Most people would say ‘what were you thinking?’ They did it because they didn’t want him to feel obligated to continue playing to shore up his financial future.
“Basically, they didn’t want me to say, ‘Okay, I don’t have enough money, if I keep playing, maybe I can buy a house or a property or a business too.'” They did so knowing that a concussion would likely end his career.
Ralph offered his views on the move, believing Collingwood did so in an effort to convince Murphy to prioritize his health.
“My take: They basically did it by trying to push him into retirement by saying, ‘Take the money, even if we have to pay it into our cap next year,'” he said.
“It turns out he was medically withdrawn by the AFL on Saturday, something that hadn’t happened (previously). He had been medically picked up by the AFL (last December), so all of that was at significant risk.
“I was still struggling with migraines and anxiety.”