Details emerge over Adam Hunter's death: Meth related overdose. Died penniless

[Bucking Bronco]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/a...-moments-death-overdose-meth-Perth-cause.html

The partner of former AFL star Adam Hunter

Adam Hunter

Age

44

Ht

190cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.2

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

2.0

4star

No current season stats available

D

8.0

2star

K

3.8

2star

HB

4.2

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.6

4star

has recalled the harrowing final moments of his life after he overdosed on drugs in February.

Hunter, 43, was a premiership hero with the West Coast Eagles in 2006 – but he also battled drug addiction for decades, including during his decorated playing days.

A coronial inquiry has pinpointed meth–induced heart failure as the cause of his death.

Latisha Yacoub recalled frantically administering CPR to Hunter on the night of February 4.

'I was screaming at him to keep his eyes open,' she said.

'He was looking at me. He couldn't move anything except his head.

'I said, "Just don't die on me". That was the last time he looked at me and then he closed his eyes and I started CPR.'

The WA Coroner believes Hunter's ongoing drug use exacerbated his heart complications, which included cardiac hypertrophy – a thickening of the walls of the heart – and coronary artery disease.

Hunter's drug use was no secret – and due to his addiction, he had multiple houses repossessed.

He also died bankrupt after selling most of his football memorabilia to pay drug dealers.

The couple initially met when Hunter was drafted to West Coast as a teenager – but she soon suspected she 'wasn't the only woman in his life'.

They reconciled in August 2022 and Hunter pledged never to hurt Yacoub again.

In December that year, Hunter moved into Yacoub's house with her two children in Bunbury, south of Perth.

The fallen footy star worked occasionally as a truck driver, but the majority of his pay 'went on drugs', Yacoub said.

She also revealed Hunter previously told her he avoided drug testers while he was playing with the Eagles by shaving his head so they couldn't perform hair-follicle tests.

Hunter's drug use – mainly meth – increased after injuries forced his retirement from the AFL in 2009.

'Even when he was playing (state league in Western Australia) for South Bunbury, he would treat it like the AFL,' she said.

'He would weigh himself relentlessly, on game day up to eight times. He was using steroids and any supplement he could find.'

Yacoub said Hunter was using elective androgen receptor modulators, which help promote muscle and bone growth. He was also taking the fat–burning drug clenbuterol.

'He didn't want to age,' she told the West Australian.

'He would try anything to stay young. He wanted to be that person in the 2006 grand final.'

Yacoub – a qualified nurse – believes Hunter took meth on the day he died.

'I had just come back from Bali with my children,' she recalled.

'We had a conversation about how I couldn't have things keep on the way they were.

'He said 'I really want to make things work'. (Next) I heard a noise. I went to the bedroom and he was on the floor. There was a little bit of foam coming out of his mouth and I thought he had overdosed.

'I was screaming, "What have you done, what have you done?" I lifted his head up and I screamed at him to open his eyes. I kept asking what he had done so I knew what I was dealing with.

'He opened his eyes. I said I was calling the ambulance and he shook his head because he had always said he never wanted to wind up in hospital if something went wrong.

'I said, "I don't care, I need help because I don't know what you have done". I asked him to lift his arms and his legs. He had no motor response, no verbal response.

'My eldest was on the phone to the ambulance. I didn't stop CPR. My son said Adam was turning blue. I knew he had gone. He had turned really blue. And then he turned bloodshot purple.'

Speaking at Hunter's funeral, Yacoub labelled the former footballer 'my lover, my best friend, my soulmate and the absolute love of my life'.

'We've had our fair share of ups and downs but no matter what we both knew that there'd never be anybody else,' she said at the service.

'Some people wait a lifetime to experience the love we share.'

Following Hunter's death, Yacoub's relationship with his grieving family became strained.

'He didn't have a will... but when he died, his family made it clear to me that I would be looked after because of all the money I had spent on him over the past few years,' she said in the coronial inquiry.

'But now things have got very uncomfortable between us.'

 

[Werewolf]

It's mind boggling that an AFL premiership player can die penniless

 

[Rod Stroker]

that's a damn sad read.

 

[BigPond101]

The last two paragraphs are strange considering Hunter had a kid of his own who should surely get any money

 

[Paul Kersey]

Sad.

 

[GWT6]

The last two paragraphs are strange considering Hunter had a kid of his own who should surely get any money

It may be more complicated than that. She may have taken on his debts and supported him.

 

[matthew_s]

The last two paragraphs are strange considering Hunter had a kid of his own who should surely get any money

They also insinuate there is no money. So what are they fighting over?

 

[theouthouse]

They also insinuate there is no money. So what are they fighting over?

Superannuation and death insurance. More common than not that these things turn nasty in grief.

 

[kane249]

It's mind boggling that an AFL premiership player can die penniless

Same way Lotto winners go broke

People get caught in the now and enjoying their cash and what it can get them, don't plan for the future

 

[Lia]

Adam's career ended quite suddenly due to a shoulder injury, probably 3-4 years earlier than it should have.

Not ideal if you are potentially unprepared for life outside of football.

 

[Jatz]

Adam's career ended quite suddenly due to a shoulder injury, probably 3-4 years earlier than it should have.

Not ideal if you are potentially unprepared for life outside of football.

Not sure it would've mattered by the sounds of it. Seems like he would've struggled regardless of when his career actually finished.

Very sad.

 

[TheThunderboltKid]

It's mind boggling that an AFL premiership player can die penniless

Gotta be one of the least mind boggling things tbf.

 

[WOFTAMWarrior]

That was a great era for West Coast with so much talent across the park but from that time so many players have battled with off field issues for one reason or another.

Such a terrible way to end your life.

 

[WillHayward]

Sad. Wonder what was underneath his struggles.
Footy was probably a good distraction while it lasted and gave him structure and purpose.

 

[dmc333]

It's mind boggling that an AFL premiership player can die penniless

In this case, he played for about 10 years and his career ended 16 years ago.

He wouldn't have made huge money.

 

[rdhopkins2]

A tragic ending for Hunter.
Even more tragic for his wife and child who had to bear witness to his dying moments.


Drug addiction is real. The consequences life altering or even fatal no matter who you are.

 

[BigPond101]

A tragic ending for Hunter.
Even more tragic for his wife and child who had to bare witness to his dying moments.

It was his girlfriend and her adult kids, so, not quite that bad. Still sad tho. Hopefully this will be the wake up call needed if they also partake in meth

 

[matthew_s]

It was his girlfriend and her adult kids, so, not quite that bad.

Weird take. Do better next time.

 

[BigPond101]

Weird take. Do better next time.

Um, it's not as bad as dying in front of your biological kid who is apparently very young. Think about what that would do to a small child for the rest of their life and stop pretending you know better. You are the type of guy who supports child soldiers being sent into war zones. Do better.

 

[matthew_s]

Um, it's not as bad as dying in front of your biological kid who is apparently very young. Think about what that would do to a small child for the rest of their life and stop pretending you know better. You are the type of guy who supports child soldiers being sent into war zones. Do better.

Nice melt.

 

[iameviljez]

Um, it's not as bad as dying in front of your biological kid who is apparently very young. Think about what that would do to a small child for the rest of their life and stop pretending you know better. You are the type of guy who supports child soldiers being sent into war zones. Do better.

Well that went extremely quickly from "I agree" to "WTF"

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

You are the type of guy who supports child soldiers being sent into war zones. Do better.

those kids need a lot of support

 

[iameviljez]

those kids need a lot of support

haha username checks out

 

[Atomboy]

That was a great era for West Coast with so much talent across the park but from that time so many players have battled with off field issues for one reason or another.

Such a terrible way to end your life.

It’s not really a mystery if you lived in Perth during that era, the club and their handlers swept all this nonsense under the rug.

 

[Anja_Nees]

In this case, he played for about 10 years and his career ended 16 years ago.

He wouldn't have made huge money.

I know AFL wages have skyrocketed since then but something like $300,000 p.a. in Perth in the early 2000s would take you quite a long way.

If he’d invested well and bought a home during his career he would have ended up reasonably wealthy, but a lot of these guys just squandered it as it came in.

It’s a long story but I know of several ex-AFL players from that era who ended up in a similar boat financially (and each with their own vice, whether gambling, drugs or booze).