The family of Paul Green, a former professional rugby league player, confirmed that he had advanced brain disease when he died on August 11.
The 49-year-old was found dead at his home in Brisbane.
He had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a neurodegenerative disease that can affect people who have repeated head injuries. CTE is known to affect individuals who have played contact sports such as football.
His wife, Amanda, donated his brain to a brain bank in Australia, which allowed scientists to study it.
According to The Australian, the news of Paul’s death has brought some closure to his family.
He played 162 games for five different professional teams. Some of these include the North Queensland Cowboys, the Sydney Roosters, the Brisbane Broncos, and the Parramatta Eels.
After his playing career, Green became the head coach of the Cowboys.
In 2015, he led the team to its first premiership.