Former Wallabies flanker David Croft and retired Brisbane Lion Justin Clarke say they will donate their brain tissue to science to help advance the study of concussion.
The former sportsmen are ambassadors for a revolutionary University of Queensland study into concussion which includes saliva and blood tests and brain scans on current athletes.
"I will myself personally donate my brain tissue when it comes to the time," Croft, 37, said on Tuesday.
Croft, 37, played eight seasons of Super Rugby for the Queensland Reds and suffered a number of head knocks as he put his body on the line week in, week out before retiring in 2009 at 29.
Former Lions defender Clarke retired in March, aged just 22, after ongoing difficulties from concussion.
The Queensland Brain Institute's campaign will raise awareness of the dangers of concussion and fund ground-breaking research, with the backing of sporting codes across the country.
Elite athletes will be recruited for brain scans, with follow-ups at regular intervals if they experience concussion.
QBI director Professor Pankaj Sah welcomed the involvement of elite athletes.
"We aren't trying to change sport. We're trying to change outcomes," Professor Sah said in a statement.
The effects of concussion on American football players have caused a massive upheaval and included former players taking out a class action against the NFL.
The retired NFL players sued, accusing the NFL of not warning players and hiding the damages of brain injury.
In April, a US federal appeals court upheld an estimated $US1 billion ($A1.35 billion) plan by the NFL to settle thousands of concussion lawsuits filed by former players, thereby potentially ending a troubled chapter in the sport's history.
The Will Smith movie Concussion tells the story of the forensic pathologist who exposed the effects of NFL players who had suffered repeated blows to the head - which included memory loss, social instability and eventually suicidal thoughts.
