CTE is a neurodegenerative brain injury that is caused by repeated head trauma and typically presents symptoms many years, sometimes decades, after the cause.
Repetitive head impacts are known to cause a buildup of abormal proteins in the brains of many athletes engaged in combat sports such as boxing, rugby league and union as well as NFL and AFL football, causing brain cell death that leads to a combination of cognitive impairment and/or psychiatric problems.
It can only definitively be diagnosed post-mortem via a detailed examination of the brain, but understanding and awareness of the condition is beginning to build thanks to the selfless donation of brains made by athletes to scientists following their passing.
Former NRL Premiership-winning coach Paul Green was diagnosed with severe CTE following his death in 2022, as was 20-year-old Manly Sea Eagles rookie Keith Titmuss when he passed away from heatstroke in 2020, whilst league legend Wally Lewis believes he is battling symptoms of the illness.
No fewer than 33 former Australian rules football players have been definitively diagnosed post-mortem with CTE by the Australian Sports Brain Bank, which was described by Professor Alan Pearce earlier this year as "a preventable environmental disease".
Wade was first diagnosed with a neurogenerative disorder in 2024 following the emergence of symptoms, with his condition redefined as 'probable CTE' in 2025.
He told ABC Radio that loved ones first became concerned about his neurological health when he was experiencing uncharacteristic mood swings in 2024, such as abnormally aggressive confrontations with his wife and friends over very minor issues.
Whilst there is no known cure for CTE, symptoms can be managed with various treatments, and Wade revealed on Wednesday that he is successfully taking medication to lessen his mood swings.
The former Socceroos captain, who led the team for six years in the 1990s and played more than 200 club games for South Melbourne FC, said that memory loss also cost him work.
"I was forgetting a simple thing like a phone call. And for those who would say 'well, why wouldn't you just put it in a diary?', I would write it down and then forget to look in my diary the next day."
Wade believes years of heading footballs a player both in training and in matches contributed to his condition more than on-field concussions and head clashes, though he disputes the suggestion that 20th-century leather balls were the problem and that action needs to be taken in 2026 to prevent the next generation of footballers from such trouble.
“Goalkeepers always kicked the ball into the air back then. Nobody threw it out,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“And because I was in midfield, I was probably one of the very few that was willing to head it. Right from the start, I knew I could head a ball – even if it was on the top of my head, where it hurt. I just felt that this was something I can do. And as I got older, the more I did it, the more accurate I got with my headers, the more people went: ‘Yeah, Wadey can head a ball. This is really cool.’
"And then I just loved it. ... People have got to understand … you don’t have to have a concussion to have CTE.
When asked what action he would like to see taken to help prevent future cases of CTE amongst footballers, Wade suggested the action of repeatedly heading a ball should be limited, particularly amongst children.
"To the people actually making the rules we've got to come up with ways we can make it safer," he said.
"If I could say to Football Australia, or even FIFA, if you're listening, let's put some protocols in there because you've got everything about concussion.
"You don't talk about CTE and how we can change the game and change the training and change the age so that it's minimalised, so we're not exposing kids to CTE.
"Someone's got to say no. Kids are ... heading a ball 12 years or under.
"Maybe we could say 'no heading the ball under the age of 12 or 14, or no heading at training."
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
