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

A coroner has recovered that repeatedly heading a shot shot “likely” contributed to the encephalon wounded that was a origin successful the decease of erstwhile Manchester United and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen

NORTHALLERTON, England -- Repeatedly heading a shot shot “likely” contributed to the encephalon wounded that was a origin successful the decease of erstwhile Manchester United and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen, a coroner recovered Monday.

McQueen died successful June 2023 astatine the property of 70, with the origin of decease fixed arsenic pneumonia aft helium became frail and bed-bound for months.

In his communicative conclusions pursuing an inquest, coroner Jon Heath said McQueen died from pneumonia arsenic a effect of mixed vascular dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is simply a neurodegenerative illness linked to repeated caput trauma.

“It is apt that repetitive caput impacts sustained by heading the shot portion playing shot contributed to the CTE,” the coroner said.

His daughter, Hayley McQueen, was successful tribunal to perceive the findings. She gave grounds during the inquest, saying her begetter had said that ’heading a shot for each those years astir apt hasn’t helped” his condition.

She said her begetter was comparatively injury-free during his vocation but did endure immoderate concussions, adding: “They would conscionable caput backmost retired and play.”

Hayley McQueen, a TV presenter, said she hopes the findings of the inquest volition pb to alteration successful shot and “make definite that this truly real, horrible occupation isn’t a occupation for aboriginal generations.”

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

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

After his death, his household donated his encephalon to prof Willie Stewart, a advisor neuropathologist astatine the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital successful Glasgow, the inquest heard.

Stewart has conducted extended probe into encephalon injuries successful shot and rugby players. He told the inquest helium recovered grounds of CTE and vascular dementia.

Stewart said the lone grounds disposable was that McQueen’s “high exposure” to heading a shot shot contributed to the decease and that heading the shot contributed to the CTE.

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