Dr John Batten

22 years ago today, my family and I sat at the Inquest into my Dads death. We listened to a pathologist describe how badly damaged his brain was and how it had been destroyed because of his job. It looked like the brain of a boxer. He wasn’t a boxer , he was a footballer. He was only 59 when he died. He died due to the repeated heading of footballs. That wasn’t me saying that, or my family, that was HM Coroner saying it. We know football killed him because it’s on the bottom of his death certificate. Cause of Death : Industrial Disease. This ruling should have earthquake like repercussions for the sport of football but it didn’t. It took the incredible ‘ Justice for Jeff ‘ campaign, with the help and support of 27,000 @WBA fans to make the footballing authorities sit up and listen. 12 years on his brain was re examined by @WillStewNeuro and Dad then became the 1st British footballer to be diagnosed with #CTE . Thankyou for highlighting this really important issue @StevenBartlett #CTE #MyDad #HisLegacy #dementiainfootball @JeffAstleFdn