Rugby warned it faces a brain damage epidemic
RUGBY will face a dementia ‘ epidemic’ without serious reform of the professional game, the lawyer leading legal action against the sport’s rulers has warned.
Former England star Steve Thompson has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and the 42-year-old says he has no recollection of England’s 2003 World Cup triumph.
He is among an initial group of seven players being represented by Richard Boardman who is calling for immediate action, irrespective of the outcome of litigation against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.
‘We believe up to 50 per cent of former professional players could end up with neurological complications in retirement,’ he said.
‘That’s an epidemic, and whether you believe the governing bodies and World Rugby are liable or not, something has to be done to improve the game going forward.
‘We can’t do trial by media, so now we’ve announced the litigation we’ve got to take a step back. But immediate changes need to be made to the game to protect the current generation and future players.’
Ex-Wales back-rower Alix Popham and former England flanker Michael Lipman, both also in their early 40s, have also been diagnosed with dementia symptoms. ‘The collisions are just as big now, the speed of the game, the workload,’ Boardman warned. ‘There’s nothing to suggest what’s happened to Steve, Alix and Michael won’t happen to current and future generations.’
Boardman expects the individual claims of around ten players to be heard first before a larger group litigation order, and revealed he is working with 110 former players in all, aged from their 20s to 50s.
The NFL reached a settlement worth more than £500million with players who had suffered brain injuries and Boardman expects the cases of early onset dementia to lead to considerable care costs.
‘We’ve got a lot of guys in their early 40s and by the time they get into their 50s a lot of them will be unable to work and will require a lot of healthcare,’ he said.
‘So the quantum for such claims will be considerable, certainly in the seven figures.’
There’s nothing to suggest it won’t happen to current and future generations