Mason Cox is an American-Australian professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.
Cox was signed as a Category B rookie by Collingwood in 2015. He spent the 2015 season in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
The ruckman and key forward Cox made his AFL debut on April 15, 2016 in the annual Anzac Day Match against Essendon at the MCG. In the 2018 season, Mason Cox scored 5 goals in the MCG.
Mason Cox has scored 100 goals in his 94-game career with Collingwood.
Why is Mason Cox wearing glasses? Why is Mason Cox wearing glasses while playing?
Mason Cox received special dispensation from the AFL to wear prescription sunglasses in competition.
Cox has had six different surgeries including three to his left eye, two to his right and cataract surgery.
He first required surgery in 2019 after accidentally being poked in his right eye by former Gold Coast Suns ruckman Peter Wright, causing his retina to detach. He previously had a detached retina in the other eye after an on-field altercation in the 2018 Grand Final.
In a 2022 interview with Dyl & Friends podcast, Cox asserted that it was during that operation that surgeons discovered his other retina had detached.
“I went in (to the hospital), got checked out. The doctor came back and goes, ‘I’ve got some bad news to tell you. You’ve detached half your retina in your left eye,’’ Cox said.
“The doctor thought originally that I had dislocated my lens. But what happened essentially was that he (Wright) got his fingernail and detached the retina from the actual eye. It was pretty grim and gross.
“Then he goes, ‘I’ve got some more info I need to tell you. Your other eye, your good eye, the one that wasn’t poked, has actually got an detached retina also that’s been there for a while. You’ve essentially come in for one eye and you’ve come out with two bum eyes.”
Cox further revealed that two weeks after the surgery he was made to lie on his back for 45 minutes each hour of every day and not move.
Speaking about the eyewear, Cox said that it wasn’t a matter of choice, but of necessity.
“My left pupil doesn’t constrict anymore, so if it’s sunny out my left pupil doesn’t restrict the amount of light that comes into my eye,” Cox said.
“My left pupil doesn’t constrict anymore, so if it’s sunny out my left pupil doesn’t restrict the amount of light that comes into my eye,” Cox said.
“So the glasses dissipate the amount of light that comes into my eye. So that’s why there’s a tint to it.
“If I get a finger in the eye again, I’ll go blind no doubt… it’s a unique look, definitely a unique look in the AFL. But it’s purely a medical thing now.”
