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The decision to retire from a lucrative sporting career, one that has seen you reach the top of your chosen sport, cannot be an easy one.
For Melbourne AFL player Angus Brayshaw, that decision was essentially made for him, as medical experts — looking at a range of neurological tests and other evidence — recommended that he be medically retired from the game, effective immediately.
It was a recent specialist scan that showed what the Melbourne club called "microscopic changes in the brain" that had developed since his high-profile concussion in last year's qualifying final against Collingwood.
It was early in the first quarter, with a spot in the preliminary final on the line, and more than 92,000 fans packed into the MCG ready for a big contest between the two traditional rivals.
The Demons were looking to go forward down the corridor and Brayshaw was heading towards the attacking edge of the centre square trying to set up a teammate inside 50.
He looked to kick, and Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard was there to stop him.
Maynard left the ground and leaped up to try to smother the kick that was coming. Brayshaw's momentum took him into Maynard's path, the Collingwood player's shoulder collided with Brayshaw's head, and the Demons' midfielder went down, unconscious.
The incident was sent straight to the tribunal, meaning Maynard was facing at least three weeks and potentially the end of his season.
The hearing itself showed the split-second decisions that make up so much of the modern game — and the split in the football world on how they play out.
Counsel for Maynard, Ben Ihle, said the Collingwood player had a "minute period of time" when all the mental computing had to be done, before Brayshaw moved and propped on his kicking foot.
He added that while players do impressive things on the football field, "they're still human beings".
Both statements are correct, and there is no suggestion that the collision was anything other than an unfortunate accident.
The tribunal found that Maynard was not careless either in the act of jumping or the way he fell.
But the issue of duty of care remains, and indeed it prompted the AFL to take steps ahead of the new season to tighten the rules for those who leave the ground to smother a kick.
ABC's live blog of Maynard's tribunal hearing last September drew well over 200 comments, a rare level of engagement, as fans passionately argued for and against a suspension.
Many people were furious about the potential for Maynard to be suspended for what was deemed in the end a "football act".
A commenter who went by the alias Sam summed up the comments of many:
"If Maynard is suspended, then essentially it says the sport will become touch football. This is a contact sport and it always has been, if you go onto the field you consent to the risks.
"If he is banned, then: no more specky's, no more ruckman jumping up to tap out the ball, no more jumping up into the air to take a mark and no more defenders jumping to spoil. Basically, your feet leaving the ground will be deemed an illegal action. Banning Maynard takes the game down a dark path to which it will never recover from."
On the other side, "Mars N" commented:
"I get why the decision landed how it did but how are we going to see a safer game if incidents like these aren't punished?
"I enjoy a rough match, but I don't see a way to change the culture of the game to one where head injuries are taken seriously - and avoided as much as possible - until consequences for things like this are harsher."
It's a difficult situation for everyone, and there are many factors involved — clearly for Brayshaw, the split-second moment in the game has turned out to be life-changing.
The collision led to Brayshaw's retirement, however, it is fair to point out that the Demons player had a history of concussions prior to the incident in the qualifying final.
The more concussions and sub-concussive impacts you have, the more likely it is to lead to problems. However, every incident is different and everyone's experience is different.
As an example, former Brisbane Lions player Justin Clarke was forced to retire in 2016, after one severe concussion in a preseason training session.
Leading sports neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs told ABC News on Thursday that some concussion patients end up with permanent lifelong symptoms, and can have potential risk for other degenerative conditions including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
"I must stress that that [CTE] risk is largely due to sub-concussion risk, the repeated head injuries that may not have symptoms with them, but are of equal or higher force than a concussion, causing brain injury and risk of CTE," she said.
Earlier this month, the Australian Institute of Sport put out new guidelines for community and junior sport in dealing with concussion — one of its recommendations was a longer mandated rest period for players post-concussion.
The recommendation was for players to spend a minimum of 14 days symptom-free before returning to contact training, and at least 21 days before returning to play in games.
Dr Mobbs said this was where all the major football codes, not just the AFL, need to head, at all levels.
She also pointed to the need of reducing the number of contact training sessions, and stricter rules around tackling, including modifications where possible.
"Training appears to have the highest associated risk of repeated head injury, the games are also of concern," she said, adding that the overall sub-concussive risk was largely related to longevity in the game.
"That [risk] is approximated by the number of years a player plays, and the higher the number of years that you've played, the higher your risk of CTE."
These are uncomfortable words for sport in general, and the world of Australian rules football in particular, to hear.
The bottom line is that as frustrating as it may be to certain fans, and even potentially to some players and teams, the AFL and other organisations must do everything in their power to reduce head trauma and concussion, whether through rule changes, harsher penalties at the tribunal, or other approaches to reduce risk.
Events like Brayshaw's announcement are a stark reminder of the real stakes that go on the line when teams play elite sport.
The speed, and strength and impact of the modern game, and the toll it takes on players, cannot be overestimated.
Although we are still far from knowing everything, we know a lot more than we used to about concussions, head trauma and the risks involved to players.
The issue is there isn't a hard and fast figure of how many hits or incidents are too many.
But there have been enough examples in recent years of what can happen down the track, years after retirement, to make it a legitimate and ongoing concern for every footballer and for everyone who knows and loves them.
The tension is growing between fans' desire to see a fast, physical game that matches what many grew up with, and the reality of trying to run and play a contact sport that is as much as possible safe for the participants.
While it is impossible to get rid of injuries from the game, all contact sports are facing an existential threat over the years to come. Legal, financial and insurance concerns all come into play, as does the question of participation in the game and whether some people will opt to cut short their career — or avoid it outright.
Regardless, as Angus Brayshaw and his family begin the next chapter of his life, one thing is clear: the issue of concussion isn't going away, and for the AFL and other sports the most likely option is going to be adapt or face real problems down the track.
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