Scratching our heads

THE mother of all sporting Pandora’s boxes has had its lid spun, prefixing the cataclysmic explosion set to rock our worlds. I’m talking about concussions. James McManus’ lawsuit of one-time NRL employer Newcastle over suggestions his multiple head knocks were illmanaged should have plenty worried.

For all we know (though I’m sure we’ll learn plenty about throughout what’s inevitably going to be a drawn-out saga) McManus (pictured) is right. Probably got dropped on his head a few times only to be spun around by competitive Knights officials and ordered to “toughen up”. Regardless, the fact remains that concussions, and how to handle them, is now centre of our thinking.

It’s a fact expedited by the aptly-named 2015 movie

Concussion, which details the head trauma of those in the NFL. It’s now at our doorsteps. I mean that literally. This isn’t an NRL issue, but soon a rugby league and then, ultimately, a sporting one. Should all junior athletes be forced to wear headgear? Should multiple doctors be at every junior game? If so, who polices this? And then who polices those policing?

Call it panicism for the sake of it, but as a parent I’m concerned about, well, the fact we are now asking these questions at all.

McManus is well within his rights to question how he has been treated. The question now remains is how many others, at all levels, are entitled to do the same? And at what price?