AFL champion Darren Jarman is said to have suffered such a severe concussion during a Preliminary Final that he has no recollection of scoring the game-winning goals that propelled the Adelaide Crows into the 1997 Final.
The league is currently being sued by 100 former players, including John Barnes, Chad Rintoul, Shaun Smith, John Platten, Jay Schulz, Daryn Cresswell and Jarman.
The players are taking action because they believe the league has not handled their concussion properly and it has caused long-term problems for them.
Jarman and Schulz have been diagnosed with or show signs of traumatic brain injury.
Now it can be revealed that Jarman has no memories of being knocked out by a punch against the Western Bulldogs before being shoved forward to ground him.
Adelaide trailed the Bulldogs by 31 points at half-time, but the shift to forward paid off, as Jarman scored three goals and had a direct hand in another.
Jarman was a hero for the Crows in the 1997 Preliminary Final and Grand Final, but would have been banned from both games under current concussion protocols
Jarman landed two heavy hits in Adelaide’s win over the Western Bulldogs and was moved to the front pocket where he kicked three goals
It saw a dramatic turnaround as Adelaide secured a two-point win that would eventually lead to a grand final victory over St Kilda.
However, Jarman couldn’t even remember who won or lost after the game, he had a concussion.
Greg Griffin, a guest speaker at a concussion summit, cited this incident as an example of how the AFL has let players down by not adequately supporting them on game day and during the recovery process after severe head injuries.
“We had players who were never taken off the field after a concussion,” Griffin said The age.
Darren was actually knocked unconscious in the 1997 prelim against Western Bulldogs in the second quarter. He is gone. He actually got hit, and the player who did it [James Cook, who pleaded guilty to striking Jarman, was suspended for two matches for the incident] was reported.
“The doctor put him in the middle of the floor and he looks at the couch and says, ‘What are we going to do?’
“Of course, instead of taking it off, it was badly damaged, it was put in the front pocket. Adelaide was not doing well. And the coaching staff and medical staff decided that their chances of winning that prelim would be greatly increased if Darren Jarman was on the field and not being nursed in the chambers.”
The grand final winner is now part of a class action lawsuit against the AFL alleging clubs and the league have not done enough to protect concussed players
Jarman, not wanting to let him down, obeyed the directives and suffered another concussion not long after.
Darren, like all football players, did what the coach says. He stayed on… he goes to the front pocket. It will be fully refurbished in the third quarter,” said Griffin.
“He’s got another concussion – don’t worry, that’s life, he’s a professional footballer.
“In the last fifteen minutes he kicks two goals and hands another one, and wins the match. After the game, the doctor comes to him and says, “How are you feeling?” Darren looked at him, his answer to that question being, “Who won?”
“We all played football. If you ever kicked two and gave away a third in the last quarter, and you came back from six goals down, and you were the cause of that comeback, you’d probably know who won.’
The investigation into concussions in sports, specifically targeting the AFL, is ongoing as a Senate investigation progresses. The Australian Football League (AFL) recently took part in the study and provided their insights. The study is scheduled to release its findings on Aug. 2.