Former Australian Football League star Koby Stevens has publicly detailed the profoundly restrictive contract he was compelled to sign following his medical retirement from professional football in 2018. Stevens, who competed in 91 matches across his career with West Coast, the Western Bulldogs, and St Kilda, was forced into early retirement due to persistent and severe concussion-related health concerns.
The Binding Agreement That Ended a Lifelong Passion
When athletes in the AFL are medically retired, they must enter into a formal agreement that permanently bars them from returning to top-level football. Stevens described this moment as one of the most challenging experiences of his life. "One of the hardest things during that period is when I finished, I had to sign a contract," Stevens revealed during an interview on The Howie Games Podcast. "I'm never allowed to play footy again in Australia."
For Stevens, who had been playing football since he was just four years old, this contractual prohibition was devastating. "For a kid who had a football in his hands since he was four years of age, it ripped my heart out," he confessed, highlighting the emotional toll of being severed from the sport that defined his identity.
Financial and Medical Realities Post-Retirement
Stevens was officially medically retired in July 2018. As part of his retirement settlement, he received the remainder of his contract for that year, but this financial compensation was quickly depleted by mounting medical expenses. "I got the rest of my contract, for that year… which was nothing, I spent it all on medical fees," he explained, underscoring the economic challenges faced by retired athletes dealing with serious health issues.
The abrupt end to his career left Stevens grappling with the reality of his situation. "All of a sudden, you're never allowed to play the game you've played your whole life. It's wild," he remarked, emphasizing the surreal and painful nature of his forced departure from professional sports.
A Career Marred by Concussion Injuries
The 34-year-old former athlete has since disclosed that he endured approximately 15 significant head knocks throughout his football career. "Those early ones, I wasn't too bad, they were just headaches and blurred vision. I had - over my career - 15 proper ones," Stevens detailed, providing insight into the cumulative impact of these injuries.
During his tenure with West Coast, Stevens experienced a particularly troubling period of chronic headaches. "There was a period at West Coast where I had chronic headaches… it was in the back of my head and wouldn't go away, like a hammer banging against my head. It wouldn't go away," he recalled, painting a vivid picture of the persistent pain that plagued him.
Fear and Ongoing Management of Brain Health
Before fully comprehending the extent of his concussion-related problems, Stevens was terrified of undergoing critical brain scans. "I was sh***ing myself [before the results]," he admitted. "I didn't want to do it, but someone said, 'If you had a chance to see the train coming, wouldn't you want to know?'" This analogy prompted him to confront the potential long-term consequences of his injuries.
Today, Stevens manages his concussion symptoms on a day-by-day basis, navigating the ongoing challenges of brain health after a career filled with physical trauma. His story sheds light on the broader issues within professional sports regarding player welfare, medical retirement protocols, and the lifelong impacts of repetitive head injuries.
