Mason Gordon has retired from rugby at 22 due to ongoing concussion symptoms.
Capped four time times at the Melbourne Rebels, the Brisbane product returned to the Queensland Reds last year and debuted in an off-season clash with Wales.
The fullback toured Tonga, Japan and the United Kingdom with the side in the pre-season but suffered a concussion and was never in the frame for a Super Rugby Pacific cap with his native Reds.
Gordon's retirement announcement on Wednesday comes after Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's sickening accidental blow to the head playing for the NSW Waratahs against the Reds last week.
Test cricketer Will Pukovski, 27, announced his retirement in April after suffering at least 13 concussions and battling headaches, fatigue, motion sickness, dizzy spells and mental health battles he said were linked to the illness.
Gordon's woes has coincided with code-switching older brother Carter's back injury that cause a spinal fluid leak and left him bedridden, stalling hopes of an NRL debut with Gold Coast this season.
"This is not how, or when, I anticipated my career concluding after I signed a contract at the Queensland Reds in October 2024, the same year I made my Super Rugby debut for the Melbourne Rebels," Australian U20s representative Gordon wrote in an open letter on Wednesday. "This is an unfortunate injury, however I am grateful for the memories I have of my professional rugby career and will cherish the friendships I have made forever."
Gordon, in the final year of a property economics, thanked his supporters and said he was keen to begin the "next chapter".
"Concussion is a topic of interest within world sport, and I understand people might be interested in speaking with me about what I have experienced, but I request that media respect my privacy and also my ongoing challenges," he said.
