- An autopsy has confirmed a brain disorder caused by repetitive head injuries
- Joe Kinnear’s daughter says his death was caused by him playing football
- Listen to It all starts! Why Gary Lineker is wrong when he claims journalists are ‘too scared’ to ask challenging questions
Joe Kinnear’s daughter has blamed his death on his football career.
An autopsy confirmed that his brain had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disorder caused by repetitive head injuries and leading to dementia.
Kinnear, who made 258 appearances for Tottenham as a defender before managing the likes of Wimbledon and Newcastle, died in April. The 77-year-old was diagnosed with early-onset vascular dementia in 2015.
His family donated his brain for research and an autopsy was carried out by Dr Willie Stewart, consultant neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
‘Dr. Stewart informed me that CTE was the cause of his dementia and his death,” Kinnear’s daughter, Russ Doffman, said. BBC Sports.
An autopsy revealed that Joe Kinnear had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disorder caused by repetitive head injuries and leading to dementia.
His daughter has said that ‘his career killed him’ because as a defender he had to head the ball
‘He was a defender, so that came from heading the ball.
“The autopsy]gives you closure, but when we think about it, it just makes us angry again because I feel like his career killed him.
‘We learned a lot, but were not surprised by the outcome. It does give you clarity.’
The Kinnear family are part of a lawsuit against football authorities for failing to take reasonable action to protect players from sustained injuries from blows to the head.
Kinnear is just one of dozens of former players represented in the claim.
In December 2020, Nobby Stiles’ family was told that the England World Cup winner’s dementia was caused by heading footballs.
In a courageous move aimed at supporting research and finding answers, the 1966 legend’s wife Kay and three sons donated his brain to Willie Stewart’s FIELD study, which is exploring the links between the disease and the sport .
They long believed Stiles’ dementia was due to head trauma suffered during a glittering career that also included winning the European Cup with Manchester United. In an emotional Zoom call with Dr. Stewart, their fears were confirmed.
Former Wimbledon and Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear died in April at the age of 77
Even by then, Dr. Stewart has already shown that former players are three and a half times more likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the general public.
In May, the FA revealed they were permanently banning heading at under-11s level and below to ‘improve the safety’ of football.
After a successful two-year trial period, the governing body has announced that the section for primary school-age children will be phased out over the next three seasons.
The ban applies to all affiliated leagues and school matches, with the aim of being allowed to play matches at U-12 level again when children are in secondary school.
Headway, the brain injury charity, praised the FA for introducing a ban.
“This is a sensible and pragmatic step that prioritises the health and wellbeing of young players,” said CEO Luke Griggs.
‘Repeated heading of the ball is increasingly associated with an increased risk of developing degenerative neurological conditions later in life and this decision reflects a growing awareness of the need to protect young players from potential harm.’