The career of North Melbourne midfielder Ben Jacobs is reportedly “at the crossroads” as he continues to deal with debilitating concussion symptoms that have stalled his career.

Jacobs, one of the AFL’s best taggers during the early stages of 2018, hasn’t played a game since Round 16, 2018, after he suffered whiplash from a sling tackle weeks earlier — a setback that continued to plague him in games afterwards.

While Jacobs’ problems are related to concussion, they are more complex than a standard head knock, and include issues with his nose, neck and face.

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Round 18

North coach Rhyce Shaw revealed in December that Jacobs had started running in the first steps towards his latest comeback attempt.

But speaking on SEN Breakfast on Thursday morning, SEN chief sports reporter Sam Edmund said the possibility of Jacobs returning to the AFL field was in serious doubt.

“He’s almost the forgotten man, Ben Jacobs,” Edmund said on SEN Breakfast.

North Melbourne's Ben Jacobs has played 90 AFL games. Picture: Michael Klein Source: News Corp Australia

“His situation at the moment – unfortunately for him, North Melbourne and his family – is a pretty dire one.

“He comes in and trains but then they won’t see him for two or three days after he trains. It just knocks him for six.

“He’s getting pain, headaches linked to concussion, pain behind his eyes and sinuses, across his forehead, severe pain. He can’t train consistently at all.”

Edmund reported that Jacobs had consulted around “10 different specialists from ear, nose and throat specialists to brain specialists to alternative options like stem cell therapy”.

“What I’m told is there’s nothing North Melbourne haven’t considered, on top of what Jacobs and his own family are doing,” he said.

“Ben Jacobs, unfortunately at the moment, you’d have to say he’s at the crossroads.”

Jacobs has played 90 games for the Roos and Port Adelaide since making his debut in 2011.

