Former Hawthorn champion John Platten has described revelations that late legendary ruckman Graham "Polly" Farmer suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) as “pretty scary”.

CTE, a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head trauma, is perhaps best known in the sporting world for the class action in the US which saw the NFL pay approximately $US 500 million in compensation to affected players.

Farmer’s diagnosis is the first such case relating to the VFL/AFL, and given Platten estimates he suffered 40-odd concussions during his 18-year senior career, which began in the SANFL, the 1987 Brownlow medallist admitted he was concerned about his own wellbeing.

“I certainly am [scared] now that I’ve just read the article about "Polly" Farmer and it certainly brings back a little bit of memories when you first started playing footy,” Platten told SEN on Thursday morning.