Billy-John Aaron Guyton (17 March 1990 – 15 May 2023) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. His position was halfback, he played 52 games for provincial side Tasman between 2013 and 2017 as well as playing for the , , and the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing is ...

Tasman

Guyton established himself as the starting halfback for Tasman during the

2013 ITM Cup The 2013 ITM Cup season was the eighth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on 15 August, when Counties Manukau (National Provincial Championship), Counties Man ...

in what was a successful season for the side where they won the championship division, with a one point win over in the final, 26–25. This promoting the Mako to the premiership division.

Super Rugby

After a strong season for the Mako, Guyton was part of the

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squad for the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby ...

. After only 1 game for the Hurricanes he was signed as an injury replacement for the during the

2015 Super Rugby season The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

after a season ending injury to Willi Heinz. After only playing another 1 game for the Crusaders, Guyton signed with the for the 2016 and 2017 seasons where he played 24 games.

Māori All Blacks

In October 2016 Guyton, who affiliated with the

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

Ngāti Pikiao Ngāti Pikiao is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand. They are one of the iwi within the Te Arawa tribal confederation. Their rohe (territory) centres on Lake Rotoiti and the area east of the Kaituna River in the Bay of Plenty. History Ngāti ...

, and

Ngāti Raukawa Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi (tribe) with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupō and Manawatū/ Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa. History Early history Ngāti ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

, was named in the

squad for their end of year tour to the Northern Hemisphere.

Retirement and death

Guyton announced his retirement from playing rugby in October 2018, aged 28, after repeated

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s suffered in official matches had left him with symptoms of

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets wor ...

(CTE). He died in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

on 15 May 2023, at the age of 33. Reports in New Zealand media suggested Guyton died from suspected

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. Guyton's family decided to donate his brain to the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

; following post mortem analyses conducted in

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and

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, he was diagnosed with stage 2 CTE in March 2024, becoming the first New Zealand based player to be officially diagnosed with the disease. The

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

's report also found that Guyton's brain presented trauma induced

cavum septum pellucidum The cave of septum pellucidum (CSP), cavum septi pellucidi, or cavity of septum pellucidum is a slit-like space in the septum pellucidum that is present in fetuses but usually fuses during infancy. The septum pellucidum is a thin, laminated tran ...

, as well as age related tau deposits.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guyton, Billy 1990 births 2023 deaths New Zealand rugby union players Tasman rugby union players 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen North Otago rugby union players Hurricanes (rugby union) players Crusaders (rugby union) players Blues (Super Rugby) players Rugby union scrum-halves People educated at Nelson College People educated at Shirley Boys' High School Rugby union players from Timaru Māori All Blacks players Ngāpuhi people Ngāti Pikiao people Ngāti Raukawa people Sportspeople with chronic traumatic encephalopathy