- Alex McKinnon broke his spine 10 years ago while playing for the Knights
- The former NRL star has now opened up about one of his biggest achievements.
Ten years after suffering a career-ending spinal injury, former NRL star Alex McKinnon has opened up about one of the “best decisions” he has ever made.
For the past three years, the 32-year-old has been studying at Newcastle University and will graduate with a degree in psychological sciences this summer.
It comes a decade after doctors told the former football star the terrible news that he would probably never walk again, after he broke his spine, aged 22, in a three-man tackle while playing for the Knights in March 2014.
McKinnon stated that he initially signed up for qualifying after realizing he needed to “start over.”
“Going to university was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life,” McKinnon told The Daily Telegraph.
He added: “One of the biggest frustrations when I was injured was that I had spent my entire life, 22 years, trying to perfect myself as an athlete to compete.
Former NRL star Alex McKinnon has opened up about one of the biggest achievements of his life (pictured with partner Lily)
McKinnon, a former Knights star, will graduate from Newcastle University with a degree in psychological sciences.
And when all that is taken away from you, it destroys your soul. Not only do you lose your identity, but all that hard work you’ve put in is now worthless.
‘Sure, I learned lessons along the way, but all those tools I learned, I can’t use them anymore. Basically, you have to start over.”
After his rugby career was tragically cut short, McKinnon stated that he had searched for the past 10 years for something that would “stimulate my desire to learn more”.
‘I doubted my ability to succeed academically. I thought I had no chance. But once I found something I cared about, everything changed.
“Now that I’ve done it, it doesn’t really seem real.”
His passion for psychology arose from having previously worked as part of Knight’s recruiting team.
While identifying future talent and working with players to develop their game, his interest in the discipline was sparked.
After his work with the Knights, McKinnon believes the players who excelled in the sport were those who had a mindset to: “Overcome adversity, stay disciplined and stay focused.” This often contributed to their success.’
He stated that he wanted to qualify as a registered psychologist in the future and says his interest in the discipline arose from his work with Knight’s recruitment team in 2019.
As for the future, McKinnon wants to qualify as a Registered Psychologist and has received an offer to further his studies to gain an Honors degree in the future.
The former soccer star revealed earlier this year that he is the happiest he has been in 10 years, as he also found a new partner following his split from ex-wife Teigan Power in 2022 after five years of marriage.
McKinnon will attend his graduation ceremony on Thursday and will be surrounded by his parents, his daughter and his classmate Lily.
The couple met at university last year, with Lily studying for a degree in social work. He also works as an analyst for Fox Sports.