Aussie lawsuit could change concussion approach
A landmark concussion lawsuit by a former National Rugby League player has rocked Australia’s sporting community and could have far- reaching consequences for how the condition is diagnosed and treated.
While sport often dominates headlines in Australia, experts want more focus on head knocks – an “invisible injury” sometimes dismissed as a badge of honour in a macho culture – and their longterm impact.
A driver of change could be James McManus’s legal action against the Newcastle Knights, in which he claims his former club breached their duty of care to him over several years.
The ex- winger al leges he was encouraged or allowed to keep playing after sustaining concussions, Fairfax Media repor ted. A brai n injury prematurely ended his career.
“It’s one of those things where I know players are suffering with things and are probably unaware that concussions are the cause of it,” the 31-year-old said in February after launching his case.
“You don’t want to be in the position where you are the first to do something, but I think things have to change in the game, there’s no doubt about that.”
Concussion campaigner and veteran Australian Footbal l League (Aussie Rules) player agent Peter Jess has launched a website urging former athletes to come forward, which could spark class actions or individual lawsuits.
“I’ve worked for over 1,000 players and they were young, healthy men when they first started,” Jess told AFP.
“I’m now seeing them as a range of damaged individuals in their 40s and 50s.”
Awareness about concussion in sport has grown since America’s National Football League agreed to a US$ 1 billion settlement in 2015 to resolve thousands of lawsuits by former players suffering from neurological problems.
In sports-mad Australia, various codes including rugby union, rugby league and cricket have sought to boost their protocols on the issue. Recent measures include the NRL fining three clubs a total of A$ 350,000 ( US$ 268,000) – the heaviest ever issued – for failing to follow concussion rules in games this season.
The Australian Rugby Union is trialling a system where players showing signs of concussion are shown a blue card and sent off for the remainder of the match. They cannot play again until given a medical all- clear.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia is pushing for concussion substitutes in international games, a rule they introduced for domestic matches following the death of batsman Phillip Hughes after he was hit by a bouncer in 2014.
But experts say codes need to go further, such as using an independent doctor to assess onfield injuries alongside a club’s medical officer, who could be biased or busy tending to others when a head knock occurs.
The issue was highlighted recently when English NRL star Sam Burgess played for some minutes with suspected concussion before he was withdrawn, as the team doctor was reportedly checking on one of his South Sydney team-mates.
“I think the New Zealand protocol with rugby union where they have an independent concussion assessment by a second doctor who is available at the field is a good one,” Sydney-based neurosurgeon Richard Parkinson told AFP.
“That avoids any potential bias and makes sure that every player from each team is assessed in the same way.”
Concussion occurs when blow to the head or body causes the brain to move in different directions quickly.
Most concussions do not result in a loss of consciousness, and the injury often doesn’t show up on brain scans.
As a result, current sideline tests rely on feedback from a patient through simple cognitive tasks such as reciting numbers backwards, making their results subjective.
Biological tests, viewed as more objective, have yet to be formally introduced, although researchers are exploring the viability of procedures such as brain stimulation, eye movement tests and impact sensors. — AFP
South Africa coach Allister Coetzee vowed Monday that the defensive “chaos” of last season will not reoccur when they host France during June in a three-Test series.
“It was chaos last year,” admitted the coach of his debut season in which the Springboks conceded 35 tries in losing a record eight of 12 Tests.
Fifteen of those tries were scored by New Zealand, the greatest rugby rivals of South Africa, including nine in Durban.
Coetzeeisbankingonnewdefence coach and former Springbok centre Brendan Venter to plug the gaping holes of last season.
“Brendan has worked overseas for a long time and has a good knowledge of many things related to rugby coaching, particularly the building of a defensive system.
“There will be a big improvement in our defence this year,” he predicted during a three- day training camp in western Cape university town Stellenbosch. — AFP