Coroner: Heading Ball Likely Contributed to Gordon McQueen’s Brain Injury

NORTHALLERTON (Azat TV) – A coroner has found that heading a football “likely” contributed to the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that was a factor in the death of former Scotland, Leeds United, and Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen. The finding, announced Monday after an inquest in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, reignites urgent calls for football authorities to address the long-term neurological risks faced by players across all levels of the sport.

McQueen, who was capped 30 times for Scotland between 1974 and 1981 and enjoyed a distinguished 16-year career with St Mirren, Leeds, and Manchester United, died at his home in North Yorkshire in June 2023, aged 70. The inquest heard that his cause of death was pneumonia, which developed as a consequence of mixed vascular dementia and CTE. Senior coroner Jon Heath concluded that “it is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE,” according to reports from ESPN and The Guardian.

Coroner’s Findings Detail CTE Link

The narrative conclusion from the inquest marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate surrounding brain injuries in football. Coroner Heath specified that McQueen’s frailty, which led to him becoming bed-bound for months before his death, was a result of the combination of vascular dementia and CTE. Professor Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow who conducted extensive research into brain injury in footballers, examined McQueen’s brain after his family donated it. Professor Stewart confirmed finding evidence of both CTE and vascular dementia, and agreed that the CTE “more than minimally, negligibly or trivially” contributed to the death, with heading the ball contributing to the CTE.

McQueen’s daughter, Hayley McQueen, a Sky Sports presenter, gave evidence at the inquest, recalling her father’s own belief that heading the ball had contributed to his declining health. She told the court, “He would say ‘yes, heading a football all those years probably hasn’t helped’.” She also described how her father’s health declined significantly after his 60th birthday, noting changes in his personality, struggles with swallowing, and issues with balance. “Dad absolutely loved everything about football, but ultimately, it took him in the end,” she stated to the BBC outside court.

McQueen’s Legacy and Family’s Plea

Gordon McQueen’s playing career saw him achieve considerable success, including a league title with Leeds in 1973-74 and an FA Cup triumph with Manchester United in 1983. He was a formidable central defender known for his aerial prowess, a skill now tragically linked to his later health struggles. After retiring from playing in 1985, McQueen had spells as a manager for Airdrie and as a coach for St Mirren and Middlesbrough, before becoming a respected pundit on Scottish TV and Sky Sports.

The McQueen family has become a vocal advocate for greater protections in football, emphasizing the need to safeguard future generations. Hayley’s sister, Anna, expressed concerns about the reluctance of football authorities to act more decisively, stating, “I think the football authorities are scared. Football is a beautiful sport but it doesn’t need to take people’s lives.” The family highlighted the financial burden of their father’s care, which depleted lifetime savings and relied on charities for respite, underscoring the severe impact of neurodegenerative diseases on families.

Push for Greater Protections in Football

The inquest’s findings align with growing scientific evidence linking repetitive head impacts in football to long-term brain conditions. A 2019 ‘Field’ study, jointly funded by the Football Association (FA) and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), found that footballers were 3.5 times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population. In response to such findings, the FA became the first national association to remove deliberate heading in grassroots football matches at U12 level and below in 2022. The FA also jointly funds the Brain Health Fund, providing up to £1 million a year for families affected by neurological illness in footballers.

However, activists and families affected by CTE are pushing for more comprehensive measures. Judith Gates, founder of Headsafe Football and widow of former Middlesbrough footballer Bill Gates who also died with CTE, called for a national campaign to reduce heading in training. “Most of the head impacts take place in training,” Gates said, stressing the importance of protecting young brains. Luke Griggs, chief executive of brain injury association Headway UK, told BBC Radio 5 Live that the link between repeated head trauma and degenerative neurological conditions is “well established” and that the verdict, while not surprising, is a “sizeable and important moment” for the sport.

The official recognition of a likely link between heading a football and Gordon McQueen’s brain injury intensifies the pressure on football’s governing bodies to implement more stringent and widespread measures, from youth levels to professional training, to mitigate the clear and present risks to player welfare.