Australian rugby league legend Wally Lewis has announced he is battling a neurodegenerative condition brought on from his playing days.
Lewis, whose storied career spanned over a decade at the top level, appeared on 60 Minutes last night where he revealed he's suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The 63-year-old said he has been struggling with short term memory loss, leading to him stepping back from commentating roles.
"For a lot of sports guys, I think most of us take on this belief that we've got to prove how tough we are… how rugged," Lewis told 60 Minutes.
"But we've got to take it on and admit that the problems are there."
He quit his TV sports presenting role earlier this year, and now tests have confirmed his worst health fears. (Source: 1News)
Lewis detailed how bad his short term memory had become in the interview.
"In one of my first meetings with the doctor, when she asked to repeat simple things – I think she gave me five things, and it might have been something like bus, dog, truck, camera, chair. And she said, 'remember those'. And went over them two or three times," Lewis said.
"A minute later she said, 'what are the things I asked you to remember?' And I got two of them. And then sometime later, after that, she said, 'do you remember what they were?' And I think I said 'bus'."
CTE can be caused by repeated blows to the head, causing dementia like symptoms.
However, Lewis has no regrets about his playing days.
"Would I change a thing? No, I wouldn’t, I loved the game that I played. I felt privileged to have played it and to have been given that chance."
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