Even in death, it seems Danny Frawley was determined to put others before himself.
Once again, Spud’s trademark selflessness has come to the fore, after wife Anita revealed the late Saint donated his brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank.
As reported in the Herald Sun, Frawley was found to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a crippling neurological disorder, at the time of his death.
Anita confirmed the finding, saying she hopes it will “prevent other families from going through what we did”.
“Our hearts would break seeing others go through the emotions we went through,” she said.
“This is an issue for the community, it is not about a particular sport or sports, we need more research to diagnose and assist people living with the disease.”
Frawley’s struggles with mental health were well-documented, and Anita hopes the diagnosis will foster a greater understanding of brain injuries in the community.
“His mental health battles, and his strong advocacy for mental health issues, were well known,” she said.
“As his wife for over 30 years, I strongly suspected there was more going on with Danny than straightforward depression.
“I am very grateful for the work of the Australian Sports Brain Bank in shining a light on this disease. We want to prevent other families from going through what we did.
“We are waiting for the release of the coroner’s report before any further comment, however I want people to know about the problem now, and not wait, as I believe this may help families understand the issues.”
Frawley played 240 games for the Saints from 1984-95 and remains the club’s second-longest serving captain.
