BRISBANE Lions champion Jonathan Brown has announced his retirement from the AFL.
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The South Warrnambool favourite son called time on his decorated career after 256 games and three premierships this afternoon.
Brown, 32, broke the news at a press conference on Monday and retired effective immediately.
The 2007 Coleman Medallist was concussed against Greater Western Sydney at the GABBA on June 14 when he collided with Giant Tomas Bugg.
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The latest injury setback forced Brown's decision.
It followed a string of head and facial injuries which have hampered the latter stages of his career.
“The desire to play footy was still there, but at the end of the day I think it is the right time to hang up the boots,” Brown said.
“You could always play that one more game, but it only takes one instance to cause some serious damage.
“You have to consider the future and I’ve spent some time with Kylie and the kids over the past few days and that underlined for me some of the most important things in life.
“What Leppa said about ‘not owing the Club anything’ really hit home with me and definitely helped make the decision easier.
“I caught up with him last night and we talked through the decision and my future and I knew it was time and that the right decision was to retire.”
Brown was drafted as a father-son selection in the 1999 draft.
He went on to collect premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and won All-Australian selection in 2007 and 2009.
The former skipper kicked 594 goals, falling agonisingly short of the 600-goal milestone reached by his contemporaries Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) and Lance Franklin (Hawthorn and Sydney) this year.
Brown was the Lions' leading goal-kicker in five seasons.
justine.mc@fairfaxmedia.com.au