Coroner: Repeated Heading Caused Nobby Stiles' Brain Disease
England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with severe dementia caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy from heading a football about 140,000 times, a coroner has ruled.
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Nobby Stiles died in 2020 aged 78 with severe dementia. At Stockport Coroner's Court, a coroner found that his brain condition was caused by repeatedly heading a football—approximately 140,000 times during his career.
Neuropathology expert Dr. Daniel Du Plessis told the court he is "quite convinced" that heading the ball that many times caused chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Senior Coroner Alison Mulch recorded the cause of death as Alzheimer's disease, contributed to by CTE, along with another neurodegenerative condition and cerebrovascular disease.
Speaking outside court, Stiles' son John said the ruling was "no surprise" but that the football industry "refuses to provide help" and warned his father's may be the first of many similar inquests. He emphasized that heading in training was massive, estimating his father headed the ball 40 times a day, five days a week over each 10-month season.
The court heard that at Old Trafford, a ball used to hang from the stand, and players were encouraged to head it. The family noticed Stiles forgetting things and repeating questions in his late 50s and early 60s. By 2010, he was unwell and decided to sell his medals.
The Football Association (FA) is phasing out heading in youth football up to under-11s by 2026, following a 2019 study that found footballers are three-and-a-half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disease than the general population.
