Heading footballs caused Nobby Stiles' dementia, coroner rules

England's 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died from a brain condition directly linked to repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has concluded. The former Manchester United midfielder passed away in October 2020 at age 78 after years battling severe dementia. The inquest at Stockport Coroners' Court heard that Stiles had headed a football approximately 140,000 times during his career. Neuropathologist Dr. Daniel Du Plessis told the court he was "quite convinced" that repetitive heading caused chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Senior Coroner Alison Mulch recorded the cause of death as Alzheimer's disease, contributed to by CTE, along with a second neurodegenerative condition and cerebrovascular disease. Stiles' son John addressed the media outside court, calling the ruling "no surprise" but accusing the football industry of refusing to provide help. He warned his father's case might be the first of many similar inquests. "Heading the ball in training was absolutely massive," John testified, estimating his father headed the ball 40 times a day, five days a week, across each 10-month season. He recalled that at Old Trafford, a ball used to hang from the stand and players were actively encouraged to head it. The family first noticed Stiles forgetting things and repeating questions in his late 50s and early 60s. By 2010, he was unwell and made the difficult decision to sell his medals. John described an "impending feeling of doom" as the family watched his decline. Dr. Du Plessis emphasized that repeated head injuries are now known to impact the brain. "Stiles had advanced dementia and he died of his dementia," he said, adding: "It is important to use such a death to highlight that we do now know repeated head injuries have an impact on the brain." The coroner noted the irony of delivering this verdict on the same day as England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Stiles' son concluded: "As we rightly celebrate the football heroes of today, 60 years after the heroics of 1966, it is right to remember the people like dad and thousands of others abandoned."