Sports concussions affect men and women differently: Here's why female athletes need more attention in brain research By 3 weeks ago News emerged last week that AFLW player Jacinda Barclay, who died last year at age 29 following a short period of mental illness, had abnormalities in her brain tissue. Jacinda Barclay (front) died last year. Her brain was donated to concussion research. (Getty) Barclay was the first Australian contact sportswoman to have her brain donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, a medical laboratory that investigates changes in complex nerve structures after death, in order to understand brain conditions sustained by sportspeople.