Heading a ball contributed to brain injury suffered by late Scotland defender McQueen, coroner says

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NORTHALLERTON, England (AP) — Repeatedly heading a soccer ball “likely” contributed to the brain injury that was a factor in the death of former Manchester United and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen, a coroner found Monday.

McQueen died in June 2023 at the age of 70, with the cause of death given as pneumonia after he became frail and bed-bound for months.

In his narrative conclusions following an inquest, coroner Jon Heath said McQueen died from pneumonia as a consequence of mixed vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma.

“It is likely that repetitive head impacts sustained by heading the ball while playing football contributed to the CTE,” the coroner said.

His daughter, Hayley McQueen, was in court to hear the findings. She gave evidence during the inquest, saying her father had said that ’heading a football for all those years probably hasn’t helped” his condition.

She said her father was relatively injury-free during his career but did suffer some concussions, adding: “They would just head back out and play.”

Hayley McQueen, a TV presenter, said she hopes the findings of the inquest will lead to change in soccer and “make sure that this really real, horrible problem isn’t a problem for future generations.”

McQueen played 30 games for Scotland between 1974-81, and for Manchester United and Leeds in a 16-year career.

After retiring as a player, McQueen went into coaching and became a TV pundit.

After his death, his family donated his brain to professor Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the inquest heard.

Stewart has conducted extensive research into brain injuries in soccer and rugby players. He told the inquest he found evidence of CTE and vascular dementia.

Stewart said the only evidence available was that McQueen’s “high exposure” to heading a soccer ball contributed to the death and that heading the ball contributed to the CTE.

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