The brutal disease manifesting among many athletes later in life | 60 Minutes Australia 

Wally broke our NZ hearts on many occasions and we loved to hate him as a player, but in those losses we knew we had seen one of the GOAT. Love and mad respect from NZ Wally

I’m a die hard NSW fan, met Wally in Melbourne, he stopped and spoke to me for 15 minutes and won me over. I still go for NSW but now I love Wally. I hope they find a cure.

I’m glad he’s bringing light to this issue. A lot of our NFL players have struggled with CTE. I can only imagine what the kiwi/aussie rugby players go through as they don’t even wear helmets. He’s helping a lot of young people 🧡

What a class act! As extraordinary a human being as you are an athlete! I am humbled, and pray the world will see recognize you as the example we need to strive for. Hats off to you and your partner from Canadians far and wide.

I had a chance to meet him at a state of origin. I was a young man. Absolute Gentleman. Bless you Wally. Stay strong mate. 💯

Hey Wally Lewis even if you don't remember yesterday there are a thousands of people who do, we can all take joy from who you are no matter the struggle we can all embody the inspiration you give. The gifts you have already given are far greater than the sum of any illness . Thank you for inspiring generations not only from football but from your life. 'Queenslander'!!!

As a blues and Raiders fan I grew up hating King Wally but loving him when playing for Australia. Then when I was in my early 20s and washing car windows in Brisbane during a tough time in my life he stopped and gave me some words or encouragement. Telling me things will get better for me and then giving me some two dollar coins which were shiny new. Things did get better for me and I was amazed at how down to earth and humble he is. A truly remarkable and great person. Not a bad footballer either.

this neurologist is so wonderful. Bless her

I saw a male friend who was a well known Canadian hockey player.We actually attended a Hockey camp as 12 year olds. Nicest person you would ever meet and they made him a big enforcer for his hockey teams and then the NHL.He died of multiple drug interactions in his sleep. His brain was destroyed by CTE .

The Man. The Legend. As A Loyal Kiwi supporter. We hated to love him and Loved to Hate him. Yet amidst it All he is Who he is. King Wally of Australian Rugby League.

Both my Mother and my Wife (3 months ago) died with dementia. It's a terrible, terrible disease. Kia Kaha from New Zealand Wally.

Strong on the field. Strong off it. Leader on the field. Leader off it. The absolute greatest player. The absolute greatest leader. An absolute exemplary man. The epitome of Australian Men and no diagnosis will change that! CheersToTheKing!

My dad was diagnosed of alzeimers in san francisco 10 yrs ago, he was a retired navy surgeon & tennis player.. he is now 84.. we constantly talk to him & remind him of his family & friends.. with much love, hope he can fight this illness & give us more time to show him how much we love him..

So sad to. See Wally Lewis with this awful disease. The greatest player I ever saw play rugby league. I admire you Linda as I know firsthand what it’s like to look after a person with dementia as my wife suffers from Picks Disease FTD, 4 years on my wife doesn’t talk and needs everything doing everything doing for her. Stay strong Linda, you have my full admiration.

I always hated Wally as a kid... because he was so good...haha..since he retired I began to realize what a legend he really is... Full respect to you wally.

So sad to hear this. I'm from Ireland and a rugby union fan for my whole life. But I know Wally Lewis and watching his classic games for the Maroons and Australia etc I always thought he was the greatest rugby player of all time. And I mean rugby player, union or league. Things have to change. The media and fans are at fault as well for the excitement and roaring when a huge head high hit goes in and they commentators yell their approval. And the nonchalant way they ready when a player is wobbly on his feet after a hit, "Oh he's got the bell rung!". That all HAS to end. Stop celebrating vicious hits, especially to the head.

A true champion you are Mr Lewis. Thankyou for your contribution to the game I love so much and your greater contribution to science to help guys like myself who also suffering from brain injuries from playing the great game we love so much. Although I never played at the levels you achieved you taught me to give 100% in effort,respect for coaches players and people but most of all myself.

Didn’t even know he was ill, just happy to see him make appearances at games whenever, one of the greatest to ever play rugby league

CTE has been my #1 theory for the OJ Simpson case. I’m glad it’s being spoken about. Not enough people understand what TBI can do to someone.

I don't know beans about this sport, but I know quality people when I see and hear them. I wish them all the best and appreciate their gift to the world. Hopefully, his donation will lead to discoveries that help the next generation.

This is very sad news, Wally Lewis was an outstanding player and he would often rip NSW a new one when it came to State Of Origin (and I say this as someone from NSW). Props to Wally for raising awareness on brain injury.

As a kiwi we all are with him in thoughts absolute legend of the game #the king

The king immortal, on and off the field. Champion in every sense of the word

Never even heard of this guy but such a tragic story. CTE is brutal.

i am a bit older than Wally but i gave up boxing at 11yo as i knew it was never going to end well,

I actually pity the people who stigmatise such a disease. People like Lewis are very few and far between in any sport. His love of Rugby League is one of passion and desire. I'm so grateful I got to watch you at all levels of the game. I wish you well mate.

Im a NSW fan through and through but Wally is one of the greatest rugby league players of all time. Sending prayers of comfort and strength to you and your family from PNG Wally.❤

Respect for his humility

Wally Lewis , with Alfie Langer and Big Mal Meninga running off a Wally pass with Gary Belcher on the end . Those were the days indeed . As a Kiwi we loved to hate Wally on the field but you cant deny the Legend and the Real Deal he was on a field . I truly feel for Wally and his family at this time :)

King Wally. I hope you get better. Our prayers are with you. Love from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

I wish my nan and pop could of watched this as I know they loved him and see the strength he has and could of helped them x proud of you Wally ❤️

Dam he is the King, this dreadful issue and his courage facing his fans around the world just exemplifies his royalty!

The real legend. God bless you.

Meanwhile the ones not playing and in charge our making billions while you all end up like this.

Opposition used to try and slow Wally down by whacking him in the head. Huge respect to him for making this public.

He was walking in Belmore Sport ground back in 1995 everyone was heckling him I called him got his attention and yelled "hey wally" wally looks at me and I show him what was on my year 12byr jacket it was "king wally 6" the only time a player came at me with a high five that's my Wally Lewis story him ✋ a kid from the middle east is why I am still a #bronxnation till I die

Wally was a great player. He will always be in the hearts n minds of Queensland supporters in PNG. Long live the King 👑 of Rugby league. Respects from our country.

What an amazing athlete, and more importantly, an amazing man!

Great man on and off the field.

I feel for you Wally A Lot of Rugby League / Union players from the past have experienced the same thing Its Great to see the Media putting a Spotlight on this Soldiers are the same with Ptsd I have seen my Father, Ex Vietnam Vet going through Dementia

Wish him all the best

Wally is King, he will always be loved, he's a legend and will be remembered when others are not.

So sad to see Wally suffering from this awful illness.Has a player he was without doubt the finest there has ever been.Breaking English hearts on many occasions. Good luck my friend

Being a former Jockey I also have the same condition as a result of too many falls

This is heartbreaking, wish you well King, wish you well for you and your family.

What a man, the king has only got bigger in my heart Love the man love king Walley

Sad to see. A true legend of the game.

I remember being 6- Wally had just retired but was going around Mackay with the Broncos. I made my parents go to all the places they stopped for meet and greets. Wally remembered my name and stopped each time to have a chat. Even at the pub having a beer I called out to him from a window and he stopped talking with the adults and came over to talk to me and my parents. It is something that will always stay with me, an annoying child following you around all day but for the King it was important and not a problem to give me a moment of his time. You will always be a legend Wally.

He's Not Only King on field but off it as well.

Every NFL player after death that has been tested has tested positive for CTE. Makes sense that other sports will have it too. I assume maybe Hockey and even Pro Wrestling will have it too. Maybe soccer? may depend on how often someone heads the ball? Boxing too.

That was really sad to watch.

CTE is huge amongst American football players. My favorite player from the Chicago Bears Dave Duerson committed suicide because of his issues with CTE. He shot himself in the chest so doctors could study his brain. At the time CTE was a taboo subject. The NFL and players treated it almost like it was a hoax or a form of weakness to admit CTE was driving former players to do insane things like driving on the wrong side of the road and crashing into a semi truck tanker head on like Justin Strzelczyk which caused a fatal explosion. Im surprised CTE isnt a bigger issue amongst Rugby players like it is with NFL players but Im glad theyre shedding light on it and hopefully itll be accepted and wont be looked down upon like it was when it was first discovered here in the united states.. As an American Im not familiar with the sport, but surprisingly we did have a Rugby team at my high school. I remember going to the tryouts and thinking oh this is literally like football but without pads. If American football players are getting concussed and getting CTE even though they used helmets to protect their heads, I couldnt even imagine the concussion rate and possible CTE amongst Rugby players who wear no helmets. I remember at the tryout the only protection they had to offer was headgear to wear around your ears almost similar to the headgear I wore in collegiate wrestling with some padding that went around your head. Glad this guy is talking about it and getting the support. That way people can get the help they need. Thats the one thing I never liked about sports is making it seem like you're weak if you ask for help.

Much love & respect sir.

I think he's setting a great example for athletes struggling with these health issues by coming forward and acknowledging them. I feel like you can still love the sport whether football, american football, rugby or hockey or any contact sport and still see that it comes with a high risk to your overall health. I used to go to school with a guy named zack test who was a star rugby player, had a great career but had to retire early due to acknowledging that his health was at risk if he kept playing.

Wally getting upset he forgot to give a birthday card to a family member 💔

The King. Total legend

He is the man I've watched him play way back with Arthur Beats Mel Mininga would had been fresh out of school Wally had all the game plans and he never backed down from no one he smoked a lot of ciggies Winfield if I remember correctly he inspired us here in New Zealand played hard that Man

So sad to see this. Steve Mortimer is in a care home at 67 years old. Took some brutal knocks in his career

I sustained 2 head injuries within a year of one another from a slip in the bath and hitting my head against the back wall/tiles, then the following year I suffered from Concussion after falling to a thick concrete floor. 2 years on, I'm getting Tension Headaches and I've cognitive function issues memory loss problem concentrating and other issues. So repeated head & brain trauma like this makes sense to me.

Respect! Hang in there, you'll be OK 👑❤

The human body is not designed to endure continuous trauma, be it physically, mentally, or emotionally. Being aware of the true essence of life can save many people their lives and how they suffer.

My uncle (a former professional football player) had CTE induced dementia … he had it for a number of years before he passed away last year …

What a pleasure to meet you tonight through this program. You’re an all around lovely man. Love from America

It's really SAD.....could we have prevented this????

Bless you for speaking out It can not be easy Bless you The trauma the Doctor is also experiencing is so real

As a NSW supporter Wally Lewis frustrated us too many times to count while he was playing for QLD. When he played for Australia we were all in awe of his talent and ability, because he was on our side too. He is a great man who has done many great things on and off the field, all the best Wally we are all thinking of you and your family in this difficult time. The greatest of the great!

Walley, you truely are a legend. My uncles played at your junior club. Your a legend of the game mate

CTE is so horrific and so many footy players deal with it, both in Australia and the U.S.

Sad to see this. More and more players are going through this. Watched Carl Hayman a while back on a documentary. Heart breaking. Please steer your children on another path if you can. This is real.

A legend then an immortal now..... We all back the king 100%

First there was Wally and then they smashed the mold. No one now or in the future will be pure rugby league like he was.

Forever our king U will come out stronger then ever legend.

Sorry champ, our prayers with you

I was in Sydney and met Wally Lewis ,he’s done so much for kids footy 🏉 you could write a few books just on the kids he’s inspired I’d recon 😎

Go Wally. You changed sport and I am sure you can help with the dementia prevention battle. Thanks for bringing awareness. Change the rules for football and stop allowing players to use their heads to butt the ball. Design light weight helmets with good visibility and allow players to use them. It won't stop all head hits but these measures would reduce them drastically.

He's one of my 5 My idol...You are in my prayers brother...I hardly ever show emotions...This one really hits home.

🙏 Take good care of yourself champ Wally Lewis! Thank You So Much for your decades of sacrifices to bring home the trophies for the Australian Rule Rugby Team! 🌷🌿🌎💜🕊🇦🇺

simply a legend of the sport

Wish wally and his family the very best in his health battle, watched him in his career and wow knobody has matched him as the best nrl player of all time

Mohammed Ali demonstrated decades ago, that you can't bash your head repeatedly and not expect a negative outcome. Stay in school and study hard.

Love from New Zealand Wally!

What a kind and courageous man!

The Goat to me,grew up hating you🤦🏽‍♂️ year after year you tore Nz apart,you got me interested in Rugby league,spent my youth trying to be the best I could be,started hating you but after years,loved you,you were the best there was,hope you get well King Wally,always the Goat❤❤❤❤❤❤

Who would have thought repetitive blows to the head would not end well? Seriously, how does this tragic medical event come as any surprise to anyone?

Great human being. Kia kaha Wally

Good on ya Wally. Best wishes.

Love you Wally. ❤

God bless you Wally Lewis

King Wally indeed! Kia kaha e hoa 🇳🇿

Wishing you the best Wally

It's hard to explain how much Wally means to us here in QLD , he is every bit The King , King of the North !

Amazing man

Wally still is the strongest man alive with what he is doing I cried as a grown man watching this and I've said before Wally is the KING

Thank you 👑 King Wally❤

Wait until the MMA guys get a little older. This is the only sport where you can knock an opponent down, then dive on him and keep pounding his head until the referee can drag you away.

My mother has dementia and it’s been a 10 year to date process She is so frustrated, her body is fine, a tough woman growing up and now horrible to see. I hope as a new south Welshman that he pulls through

A true legend of RL,from a pom.

Will always be a fan❤thank you Wally! ALL THE BEST❤

I can't believe they aren't wearing actual football playing clothes and protective gear like helmets and stuff, i know they can still get CTE even wearing it but have better chance with the protective gear.

10 games for Wakefield Trinity Thanks Mr Lewis 👏👏👏👏🤙😎