A former player who was forced into medical retirement after suffering eight brain bleeds and a fractured skull has been left shocked after an AFL-ordered clinical assessment ruled that he had sustained only a “mild” brain injury.
asserted
he → force → injury
That clinical reclassification – delivered more than two years after Western Bulldogs draftee Aiden O’Driscoll was forced out of the game before playing a senior match – has left the 21-year-old traumatised, derailed his bid for a $600,000 severe injury payout and put his management on a collision course with the league.
O’Driscoll retired at just 18 in May 2024 before he had made his senior AFL debut, having suffered a major “head-on-head” concussion during a pre-season match simulation session and rushed to The Alfred hospital.
uncertain
he → deliver → hospital
He suffered a seizure and a fracture behind his ear, an MRI later revealing that the collision had left him with eight brain bleeds.
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collision → suffer → bleeds
While he received a career-ending injury payment of more than $150,000 in 2024, his application for a $600,000 severe injury benefit (SIB) payment was rejected this year by the AFL and AFL Players’ Association, which found he did not meet the criteria.
asserted
he → receive → criteria
That decision was based on a neuropsychological assessment report completed in Perth in March by a group of clinicians specialising in the diagnosis and management of neuropsychological and behavioural conditions, which concluded that O’Driscoll suffered only a “mild TBI [traumatic brain injury]” – leaving O’Driscoll and his agent Peter Jess in shock.
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O’Driscoll → base → shock
An AFL medical panel’s report in April 2024 revealed the extent of O’Driscoll’s injury, going as far as declaring “Aiden has more micro-haemorrhages than the panel has seen in other athletes”.
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panel → reveal → athletes
He was medically retired by the AFL’s independent concussion panel.
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He → retire → panel
He struggles with daily memory loss, nausea and anxiety, dizziness and has difficulty sleeping as a result of the brain trauma stemming from the training incident.
“It [mild assessment] does not add up.
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It → struggle → incident
It has progressively got worse over time.
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It → get → time
It’s a horrible thing for a 21-year-old to go through.
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old → ’ → ?
Literally yesterday, when I went to the shops for three things … avocado, it literally took me 15 minutes to remember, and it was one of three things.
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it → go → things
But I forgot one of the things, which was the reason for going to the shops, and that was the dishwashing liquid,” O’Driscoll told this masthead.
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O’Driscoll → forget → masthead
“Things like that have happened to me a lot since I had the hit.
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I → happen → hit
“I have lost a couple of girlfriends [relationship break-ups] along the way, and I honestly think it’s to do with this as well.
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it → lose → this
“The basic things I forget.
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I → forget → things
I obviously can’t live a normal life.”
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I → live → life
AFL chief medical officer Michael Makdissi, in a discharge summary letter dated May 18, 2026, did not comment on the “mild TBI” assessment, leaving Jess stunned.
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Makdissi → date → Jess
“The medical classification for Aiden’s type of injury is moderate/severe TBI, not a mild brain trauma as assessed … the assessment is flawed and cannot be relied upon,” Jess, a prominent concussion campaigner for athletes in all sports, said.
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Jess → assess → sports
The neuropsychological report, which Jess gave to this masthead on behalf of O’Driscoll, said: “He [O’Driscoll] sustained a mild TBI on 26/01/2024 during a pre-season simulation match, which resulted in a single seizure episode and loss of consciousness.
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which → give → consciousness
Neuroimaging scans have identified micro-haemorrhages primarily in his right temporal lobe.
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scans → identify → lobe
“After medical assessments and review by an independent concussion panel, Aiden retired from professional football and contact sport in May 2024.
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Aiden → retire → May
“Prior to his TBI, Aiden underwent cognitive evaluation as part of the Western Bulldogs baseline cognitive testing program.
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Aiden → undergo → program
At baseline, Aiden was observed to display variability across his results, with weaknesses more apparent on memory tasks and when the complexity and attentional demands were greater.
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complexity → observe → tasks
“These outcomes largely reflected a long-standing pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, noting his pre-existing ADHD and dyslexia diagnoses.
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outcomes → reflect → diagnoses
“At 41 days post-TBI, neuropsychological review noted that Aiden had generally been making a good recovery.
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Aiden → note → recovery
Formal testing revealed largely stable results compared to his baseline, though memory scores were slightly weaker.
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scores → reveal → baseline
On the current assessment, Aiden’s basic attention processing speed, visual spatial skills, and executive functions were broadly at age-expected levels.
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speed → expect → levels
His verbal language abilities were comparatively weaker, and vulnerabilities were apparent with his working memory and mental flexibility, attentional shift.
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vulnerabilities → work → memory
“There were limitations and efficiencies with Aiden’s new learning encoding, as well as his memory recall, likely related to feelings of overwhelm and attentional weakness.”
This masthead is not accusing the AFL or the AFLPA of any wrongdoing.
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masthead → be → wrongdoing
O’Driscoll, who has expressed frustration with the AFL and the overall process on social media, said it had been a traumatic experience.
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it → express → media
“It has been [traumatic], it has been very difficult,” O’Driscoll said.
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O’Driscoll → say → ?
“The severity of my injury … it has had severe impacts on me.
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it → have → me
When it first happened, I just wanted to get back out there and keep playing.
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I → happen → ?
I wasn’t affected a heap, but it got to six months down the line, that’s when I started to feel it.”
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I → affect → it
The AFLPA said in a rejection letter in March that O’Driscoll had not demonstrated a “permanent impairment of cognitive function”, meaning his future earning capacity would not be reduced by at least 40 per cent.
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capacity → say → cent
Jess described that claim as “nonsense”, and had already begun examining legal action against several parties.
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Jess → describe → parties
The AFLPA did not wish to comment because of confidentiality reasons.
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AFLPA → wish → reasons
The AFL was contacted for comment.
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AFL → contact → comment
Jess said the mild, rather than moderate or severe, assessment meant O’Driscoll’s bid for a disability pension was also impacted.
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bid → say → pension
“It’s frightening what has gone on here.
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what → ’ → ?
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
