- Alex McKinnon broke his spine playing for the Knights 10 years ago
- The former NRL star has now revealed one of his greatest achievements
Ten years after suffering a career-ending spinal cord injury, former NRL star Alex McKinnon has opened up about one of the “best decisions” he ever made.
For the past three years, the 32-year-old has studied at Newcastle University and will graduate this summer with a bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences.
It comes a decade after the former football star was given the devastating news that he would likely never walk again after breaking his spine in a three-man tackle at the age of 22 while playing for the Knights in March 2014.
McKinnon stated that he initially signed up for the qualification after realizing he would have to ‘start all over again’.
“Going to university is one of the best decisions I have made in my life,” McKinnon told The Daily Telegraph.
He added: “One of the biggest frustrations when I got injured was that I had spent my entire life, 22 years, trying to refine myself as an athlete in order 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 bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences
“And to have all that taken away from you is soul-destroying. Not only will you lose your identity, but all that hard work you put in is now worthless.
‘Of course I have learned lessons along the way, but I can no longer use all those tools that I did learn. So you actually have to start over.’
After his rugby career was tragically cut short, McKinnon stated that he had spent the past decade looking for something that “stimulated my desire to learn more.”
‘I doubted my academic success. 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 feel real.”
His passion for psychology stemmed from previously being part of Knight’s recruiting team.
As he identified future talents and worked with players to develop their games, his interest in the discipline was sparked.
After his work with the Knights, McKinnon believes that the players who excelled in the sport were those who had the mentality to: ‘Overcome adversity, stay disciplined and stay focused. These have often contributed to their success.’
He claimed he wanted to qualify as a registered psychologist in the future and says his interest in the field was sparked by his work with the Knight’s recruitment team in 2019.
Looking ahead, McKinnon is looking to qualify as a registered psychologist and has received an offer to extend his studies to gain an honors degree in the future.
The former footy star revealed earlier this year that he is the happiest he has been in a decade, having 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, daughter and his partner Lily.
The pair met last year at university, where Lily was studying a degree in social work. She also works as an analyst for Fox Sports.