The sun’s setting in the Sydney suburbs, but a young Brandon Jack’s still running his science experiment. Or rather, he’s still pretending to run his science experiment. In reality, he’s just kicking an Aussie Rules football around. But when you’re the son of an NRL legend, you have to come up with a good cover story to even go near other football codes.  Brandon’s talent for side-stepping the truth about football continued into adulthood. Rather than speaking openly about his fears and doubts as a professional athlete, he told his superiors he intended to run a law firm before retiring from the game, hoping they’d decide on his behalf that he wasn’t committed to the team.  Now, Brandon’s writing his own story, and in doing so, he’s casting light on the darker side of professional sport and the deeply masculine culture that surrounds it in Australia.  He also opens up about his fractured relationship with his parents and why he’s just started to mend some bridges with them after years of estrangement.  Grab a copy of Brandon's book, 28 +++  Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sometimes, life throws up moments that are unexpected. Things you could never plan for. Challenges you couldn’t have seen coming. The human experience is all about adapting. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times.  Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. And get more wisdom and life lessons delivered to you directly with Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan with editing by Travis Vetier.  The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan.  We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices