2 days ago
Major update in Ty Zantuck's law suit against his old club Richmond, after a training ground incident left the ex-AFL player's 'life crippled'
The Richmond Football Club have reached an undisclosed settlement agreement with former payer Ty Zantuck.
The footy star had been seeking damages from the AFL club after claiming the Tigers allegedly mistreated him during a training camp back in 2001.
The former footy star told a court he had stress fractures in his back. However, during the training camp, he claimed the club made him carry a 30kg backpack.
The 43-year-old also claims to have been administered between 15 to 20 epidurals along with multiple local anaesthetic injections to keep him available to play football.
Zantuck, speaking to The Herald Sun, claimed that while he still loves the Tigers, the club 'got the treatment horribly wrong.'
He also claimed that the repeated injections 'ruined the muscles in my body.'
The footy star had been seeking damages from the AFL club after claiming they allegedly mistreated him during a training camp back in 2001
Zantuck was drafted to the Melbourne-based team in 2000 and played 68 matches for the Tigers, before leaving for Essendon in 2004. He was delisted a season later by the club.
Zantuck had sued the club for a breach of its duty of care, with the legal battle having gone back and forth for several years.
Supreme Court judge Justice Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou had granted an extension on the statute of limitations on the footy player's claim in 2022.
During a hearing, Justice Ierodiancono described the alleged conduct by the football club as 'egregious' and had left Zantuck's 'life crippled'.
'I'm still traumatised by the whole thing,' the former defender said during an earlier court hearing.
'I still love the Richmond Football Club, my two sons barrack for them,' he added.
His lawyer Greg Griffin said the legal process had been 'difficult'.
'All parties are happy to see it finished,' he explained.
In 2021, Zantuck was diagnosed with suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The disease is a progressive brain injury that is thought to be caused by repeated head injuries.
Health professionals say that the illness slowly gets worse over time and leads to dementia.
