Playing football was likely to have directly contributed to the death of a former professional, a coroner has ruled.
Former Watford, Luton and Portsmouth defender Alan Garner collapsed and died at his Bedfordshire home in July at the age of 69.
While the primary cause of his death was a brain haemorrhage, the coroner's narrative verdict added that it was 'likely that injuries sustained during his football career contributed'.
For almost a decade, Garner's family believed he was suffering from mental health issues caused by repetitive heading of the ball during his career as a no-nonsense defender.
While the well-liked centre-half, who played from 1967 to 1982 and started his career at Millwall, was never diagnosed with dementia and refused to accept there was an issue, he displayed tell-tale signs of brain injury and, following his death, the decision was made by his wife and two children to donate his brain to Dr Willie Stewart, who is carrying out the ongoing FIELD study into dementia and its links to football.
As in the case of Nobby Stiles, revealed by Sportsmail on Monday, Dr Stewart's analysis found considerable Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy - only found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma - and his report was referred to extensively by coroner Emma Whitting on Tuesday.
She stated Dr Stewart's findings that the pathology uncovered was 'almost exclusively associated with a history of prior traumatic brain injury/repetitive head impacts'. She added that this was 'recognised as associated with exposure to previous trauma brain injury and a common finding in former footballers'.
The coroner also read out a report from Garner's GP who wrote that he had suffered migraines dating back to 1990 and concerns were raised by his family over his deteriorating memory and behaviour.
He became increasingly forgetful, argumentative, losing his temper and often raising his voice at a volume which led neighbours to come around and ensure all was well. He could also not recall his age, became frequently aggressive and occasionally threatening.
There was, however, nothing on an MRI or PET scan which showed damage.
Garner, who won a number of promotions and was a fans' favourite, set up his own double-glazing business after football. In semi-retirement, he managed to stay active, walking frequently and working 20 hours a week as a baggage handler at Luton Airport before he was placed on the furlough scheme.
'Whilst there is the underlying natural cause,' said Whitting, 'there is also as a contributing factor the impact of his career as a professional footballer and what that would have involved in the 1970s'.
She added: 'He is well known among many of my office. They knew who he was and what a hero he was locally.' A narrative conclusion was reached. It read: 'The Deceased died from a brain haemorrhage caused by high blood pressure but it is likely that the injuries he had sustained during his footballing career contributed to his death.'
Whitting added: 'I want to pass my own condolences on and I just wanted to repeat what a legend he is to many in this area.
'Equally, it is really important that it is highlighted what the dangers of what that professional football career held for him and that lessons are learned.'
The verdict adds considerable weight to calls for dementia in footballers to be recognised as an industrial disease, one of the seven points featured in Sportsmail's campaign for football to finally tackle its dementia scandal.