Former Super Rugby and Māori All Blacks star Shane Christie is being mourned after his death from a suspected suicide aged just 39.

The respected flanker was found dead in Nelson, New Zealand on Wednesday morning, with police confirming they attended a call-out for a sudden death, Stuff reported.

Christie played 29 Super Rugby matches for the Highlanders from 2014 to 2016, and also played 73 games for Tasman in addition to representing the Māori All Blacks on eight occasions.

‘It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Shane Christie,’ NZ Rugby said in a statement. 

‘Shane represented Aotearoa New Zealand in both the All Blacks Sevens and the Māori All Blacks jerseys. 

‘He played in our domestic competitions and Super Rugby, forging deep connections with the Tasman Mako and the Highlanders. 

Shane Christie is pictured playing for the Tasman side in 2016, his last year in the game before retiring due to concussion-related health problems

The respected flanker (pictured) documented his dire health struggles and became an advocate for footy players who suffered the after effects of head knocks

Christie said he suffered as many as four concussions in the space of six weeks while playing for the Highlanders in Super Rugby

‘He was passionate about coaching, holding coaching roles with Tasman, for both their women’s and men’s teams, and the Highlanders.

‘Any time the rugby community loses a member it is felt deeply. Shane’s passion for the game will be remembered always. Our thoughts are with Shane’s whānau, friends, former team-mates, and community at this incredibly difficult time.’ 

Christie said he suffered three or four concussions in just six weeks when he was playing for the Highlanders.

He said the head knocks left him with debilitating symptoms.

‘It feels like a bruise in your head, and when you’re walking, it hurts,’ he said.

‘So when you’re thinking, it hurts, when you’re trying to exercise, the pressure hurts, and you’re not as fast and can’t think as quick.’

Christie believed he was suffering from the deadly brain disease chronic traumatic encephalpathy (CTE), which results from repeated head knocks and has been a factor in the deaths of several high-profile football players across codes including rugby union, rugby league and gridiron.

He became an advocate for players who suffered from the after effects of concussion and documented his struggles on social media.

‘Over the months of May to September 2023, I gradually exhausted my brain’s energy and cognitive capacity, pushing myself to a point where I became delusional and paranoid,’ he wrote after the death of another Kiwi rugby star, Billy Guyton, in May that year. 

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