Former All Black Steve Devine: 30 Concussions and 2 Years in Darkness

In this deeply emotional episode, former All Black halfback Steve Devine opens like never before about the physical and mental toll of his rugby career.

After enduring around 40 concussions in his career with Auckland and the All Blacks, Steve ended up in some disturbingly low places: bedridden, depressed, and contemplating the unthinkable.

These days Steve channels his experience into helping others, both as a firefighter and as an advocate for better brain injury management in sport.

Some of the stuff we cover here includes:

The brutal injury list from his professional rugby career, from 12 ankle surgeries to broken bones and relentless concussions.

The devastating impact his health had on his marriage and family life.

His transition into the New Zealand Fire Service, the trauma that comes with the job, and his advocacy for better mental health support for first responders.

His reflections on mental resilience, vulnerability, and why men need to get better at asking for help.

Then there are some cool old rugby yarns, including the bollocking he got from Eddie Jones as a young player and memories of playing with legends like Sir Michael Jones, Jonah Lomu, Andrew Mehrtens, and Richie McCaw, and what he learned from each.

This is an incredibly emotional episode from one of the real good guys.

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