Footy star reveals the horror impacts of concussion at just 33: 'I haven't slept without assistance for three years'

Daily Mail​

27-05-2025

Former Adelaide and Collingwood AFL player Paul Seedsman has spoken candidly about the lasting effects of a concussion that ended his football career, revealing a daily battle with symptoms so severe he is often bedridden and unable to function.
Seedsman, now 33, sustained the concussion during a training session in late 2021, just months after completing the best season of his career with the Adelaide Crows.
That year, he played 22 games, earned selection in the All-Australian squad of 40, and finished third in the club's best and fairest count.
However, the head knock that followed soon after would ultimately force his early retirement in 2023 on the advice of an independent medical concussion panel.
Nearly four years on from the initial injury, Seedsman says he continues to suffer from debilitating symptoms every single day, varying in severity and duration.
Speaking on Grandstand SA, he described waking up some mornings unable to move or leave his bed, while on others the symptoms escalate as the day progresses.
'I get headaches, nausea, dizziness. Some mornings I wake up and I can't get out of bed,' Seedsman said.
'Other days it gradually just increases throughout the day until I have to stop everything.'
He likened the daily toll to a mobile phone battery draining, with basic tasks quickly depleting his energy reserves.
'When I hit the red zone, I can't move, I can't speak, I just have to lie down,' he said.
'In December, I was bedridden for two to three weeks after doing just a couple of small things one morning.'
Seedsman described those severe episodes as resembling a stroke, saying he loses the ability to lift his limbs or speak and must slowly regain function with fluids, food, and rest.
'I've never had a stroke, but it sort of feels like one,' he said.
'Eventually I can move again, but during those moments I'm completely stuck and in agony.'
After 132 AFL games, Seedsman was forced into early retirement due to ongoing concussion complications
In addition to the physical effects, Seedsman also revealed he suffers from a chronic sleep disorder and has been reliant on medication for sleep assistance every night for the past three years.
'For six months I couldn't sleep at all without help, and that just compounds everything else,' he said.
The former wingman also takes antidepressants to help manage his condition, admitting that even now he has not yet discovered the limit of what he can physically do before symptoms worsen.
'I have to be really careful about how much I do,' he said.
'Every day is different and I haven't figured out the line yet.'
Despite the immense physical and mental toll, Seedsman maintains a remarkably positive outlook, which he credits to a personal development course he took in 2020.
At the time, he was struggling with form and confidence, having been dropped multiple times during one of Adelaide's worst seasons.
'I always thought I was a positive person, but I was really negative then,' he said.
The course helped him develop tools such as gratitude journaling and mindset awareness, which he believes have been crucial in coping with his post-concussion challenges.
'It talks about the laws of polarity – that there's good and bad in every situation,' Seedsman said.
He added that the support of his wife Alice and their daughter Cami gives him daily motivation and a sense of purpose.
'They've given me so much to hold onto and focus on,' he said.
'Even on the worst days, I try to find something good.'
Seedsman's story comes as the AFL continues to face scrutiny over concussion management and long-term player safety.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, has been diagnosed posthumously in several former AFL players including Shane Tuck and Danny Frawley.
In response, the AFL has implemented new concussion protocols, including the introduction of smart mouthguards designed to measure head impacts in real time.
However, many experts argue the league's actions remain insufficient given the long-term risks involved.
Former players have also filed class actions against the AFL, alleging inadequate handling of head injuries during their careers.
Seedsman's case illustrates that even a single concussion can lead to lifelong consequences, a reality he hopes the wider football community continues to confront.
While he no longer plays, his willingness to speak openly has added a powerful voice to the growing conversation around brain health in sport.