An NRL legend has spoken about how he believes his career left him with brain damage as his wife reveals the signs he knew something was wrong.
Former Brisbane Broncos star Corey Parker, 42, believes he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head.
While the sports commentator has yet to receive any scans or tests to confirm this, his wife and partner of 21 years, Margaux, says he has difficulty with thought processing and has “signs of forgetfulness.”
‘It’s like he’s sleepwalking because he’s not aware of what he’s doing. At night he gets up and doesn’t know where she is,” he told the courier email.
“When he talks, the conversation we just had won’t always make sense.”
NRL legend and sports commentator Corey Parker, 42, has revealed he could have CTE and his wife wants him to get tested.
The 16-year NRL veteran said he has become increasingly forgetful and will donate his brain to medical research when he dies.
Triple M radio presenter Mrs Parker said her husband’s condition worsens after he has had a couple of drinks, adding this can lead to “blackout moments”.
If the couple stays in a hotel, Mrs. Parker makes sure the door is locked so that her husband doesn’t accidentally leave the room and get lost.
She encouraged Parker to get treatment and get the proper tests.
Mrs. Parker said she knows a doctor who told her they could help Parker and his former teammate Wally Lewis.
Lewis, along with fellow players Mario Fenech and Ray Price, recently revealed that they had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Parker has already offered to donate his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank for medical research after his death.
He said it would be “naïve” to think that after 16 years in the game he wouldn’t have some symptoms of CTE.
Mrs. Parker said her husband’s condition worsens when he drinks and that when they stay in hotels she has to lock the door so he doesn’t leave the room and get lost.
Parker said that in the 400 high-level games he played during his career he “absolutely” caused some damage to his brain.
Although his time in the NRL was “fantastic”, Parker admitted some of his collisions on the football field “weren’t great” and he now suffers from memory loss.
He added that during his career he would fake injuries to other parts of his body if he suspected he had suffered a concussion so he could buy himself more time and clear his head.
“At the end of my career, I would get a buzz in the head, but I would grab my shoulder or leg and pretend I had something else hurt to hide the blow to the head,” he told the publication.
Parker said that while he didn’t think he was suffering any emotional problems from having CTE, he had fears because his grandparents died of dementia in their 70s.
Parker said he hasn’t had any tests or scans done to prove he has brain damage, but he’s willing to do it.
By donating his brain, Parker hopes to help future players avoid the damage he has suffered, especially his own children, who have recently taken up sports.
Symptoms of CTE can include memory loss, depression, aggression, and suicidal thoughts.
His former teammate Paul Green, 49, took his own life in 2022, after which doctors revealed that he suffered from CTE.
Steve Folkes was the first NRL player to be diagnosed with the condition, which is also common among American football players.
Parker said he now only remembers “very small” parts of his career, which is becoming “fuzzy” and has since started texting and setting reminders for important things.
He is grateful that stricter rules and regulations have been put in place for the younger generations playing football, including his own children.
The father-of-four scored 347 games for the Broncos, as well as 19 appearances for Australia and 13 Origins for Queensland in his decorated career.
He first spoke about his health battles in February on SEN radio.
‘I do not have any doubt; “I have no doubt about my tenure as a rugby league player that I have symptoms, I have symptoms of CTE,” he said.
But it is something that cannot be understood until, obviously, post-mortem.
“You can’t expect to play a sport with a lot of collisions, (and) for (about) 20 of those years at a high level, and not have some kind of side effects.
“You can try to manage different things, but the damage has already been done, right?”
Life line 13 11 14
beyond the blue 1300 22 4636
