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Career cut short: Seedsman's brutal concussion reality
Abby Crozier • July 9th, 2026 8:51 am
Paul Seedsman is one of several AFL players forced into retirement due to ongoing concussion problems, as awareness surrounding the issue grows.
Seedsman was forced to hang up the boots on his 132-game career with Collingwood and Adelaide in 2023 after a two-year battle with concussion related symptoms.
It sadly came after a career-best campaign with the Crows where he averaged 26 disposals in 22 games in what would prove to be his final season.
After being named in the 40-man All Australian squad and finishing third in the Crows’ best and fairest in 2023, the midfielder made the decision to step back from the game after 13 seasons, experiencing persistent symptoms after a head knock in 2021 pre-season training.
Seedsman continues to struggle with symptoms daily, opening up about his challenges some 1,450 days post his retirement.
“It’s the day to day,” Seedsman told SEN SA Breakfast regarding his biggest challenge post his AFL career.
“You come to terms with losing your footy career, but it’s your life (afterwards) that you never really put any thought or time into. You sort of think you leave it on the footy field and then you move onto the next phase - which is inevitable, every single person is going to do that.
“But when (the symptoms) impact you through everything – your ability to work, your ability to sleep, headaches every day. It just impacts everything.
“One person described it as a bit of a battery life - when you’re not able to sleep, everything drains your battery.
“If you get into the yellow battery, then your symptoms are starting to increase. If you get into the red battery - you’re in all sorts. If your battery goes flat that’s where you’re in bed for a few days, and I’ve had that a number of times. It sort of bleeds into weeks at times.
“It’s hard, but there’s a choice. I try to choose to look for the good. I use a gratitude journal each night. I write ten things that I’m grateful for each day because it reminds me of the good things that are going on in life, and so for me, it’s trying to focus on that."
Channelling his hard learnt lessons into a cause for good, Seedsman spoke on his role in working with his former club on how they can harness their mental tools.
“I help a few boys from the Crows around what they want to get out of their career, goal setting, mindset," Seedsman continued.
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“Footy can be a pretty toxic place at times if you get caught thinking and putting your energy and time into the wrong spaces.
“Getting the guys to think about exactly what they want, and to (encourage them to) aim for the stars really, because you’re only going to achieve what you believe you can achieve, and for me that was one thing I really noticed.
“I put a lot of restrictions and limitations on myself through messaging and internalising negative thoughts, which created results that I didn’t want at the end of 2020.
“I chose to go and work with a guy in Melbourne who was able to help me flip my career around and understand why I’d been getting the results I’d been getting and why I was doing the things I was doing. It was because I programmed to do it that way.
“So we reset the paradigms and I went out the next year and played some decent footy.
“Unfortunately, the career was cut short at the end of that year, but this is one way I thought I could give back to some of the boys and what they’ve seen me be able to do in that (mental) space.
“They asked me to help them out, and I thought - what an honour and a privilege to be able to help those guys. I’m still very close with a lot of those guys, and the club itself – if I can help out in any way, I’m more than happy to do it.”
Despite his ability to use his own struggles to help others around him, Seedsman remains honest and open about his daily challenges.
“I’d be lying if I said that I win every day, and that I don’t succumb to it.
“I am pretty open in that I see a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and I am medicated now – on antidepressants and ADHD medication – to help with the mental blocks and the memory as well as the moods and mood swings.
“My wife will attest to this – when I’m not on my medications, I’m not a real good person to be around at times – really snappy and what not.
“I also take medicinal cannabis at nights to help with sleep. The first six months – I just didn’t sleep; I was awake starting at the stars all night. I needed to change something … it’s probably been the biggest win for me.
“It’s not for everyone, I understand that, and I’m not saying for people to just go and get on it - but it probably saved my life in a sense that not sleeping – that six months was just excruciating.
“The days are very, very long when you’re not doing that and when you’re in pain – it becomes quite a bit.
“All those things and having good people around me have kept me going, and obviously my little family as well."
With two kids under three, Seedsman has impressively managed to redirect his mentality to focus on the good around him, with the people near and dear to him lifting him up and giving him a reason to continue on.
“(My kids) have made it easier because of the purpose it gives me. That’s what I’m trying to put back into my life – is purpose," Seedsman added.
“That’s part of the reason I do what I do with the boys from the footy club as well.
“But I won’t lie, I remember one time I was having a really bad day with my daughter, and she got the better of me. I went outside … to get some fresh air, a bit defeated – she came out and gave me a big cuddle and I just thought wow – how goods that.
“I didn’t like that she knew Dad was upset – but I loved the way she was able to do that. I just thought how goods this – a little treasure like this to fight for and keep fighting for.
“My wife constantly checks in – at the start she was learning as well. She’d never been through this and we didn’t know anyone who had been through it – so the ups and downs and coming home and I’m in bed still, or I can’t do much – it’s pretty deflating for her as well.
“She was able to work out pretty quickly that she needed to change that as well – she is always checking in, consistently asking how I was going, looking for signs and being there for me.
“(At the start) I was pushing it down – a few times the club doc had suggested I go to the psychologist or psychiatrist - I kept saying, 'nah I’m alright, I’m going okay'. It got to the point where my wife sat me down and said I think you need to go see someone, I really need you to go see someone.
“For me that was probably the turning point – I reached out to go and see someone, and I’m bloody happy that I did. I was fortunate that I had someone like Alice there to help push me.
“I am challenged every day on it. Sometimes it gets the better of me, but by and large I try and stay on top of it and try to stay positive, and piece things back together because I’ve got some pretty good motivators there.
"The little fella is only a couple of months old now and my three-year-old daughter, it’s tough but it's good.
“Theres a lot of people that reach out and if I can help them in any way shape or form, that’s why I use these avenues to spread the message and say you’re not on your own when you feel this way, there’s plenty of people that have been in this situation.
"You’ve got a choice – and the choice is to keep going."
Listen to the full chat with Seedsman below:
