London (AFP)
Former England international Dan Scarbrough, 43, has joined several players' legal action against rugby authorities who they blame for not having sufficiently protected them from the risk of concussion during their career, has he said Monday.
Scarbrough was diagnosed in December with traumatic brain injuries, the onset of dementia and probable chronic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease.
He has just joined a group of eight former players, including the English hooker Steve Thompson, winner of the 2003 World Cup, and the Welshman Alix Popham, who have decided to collectively attack the international federation (World Rugby), the English federations (RFU) and Welsh (WRU).
"I got involved to access treatment by specialists and to better understand what is happening to me," Scarbrough told the British agency Press Association (PA).
"The goal is also to help other former professionals gain access to elite care to treat injuries sustained during their careers, an option that is taken away from us after we retire from sports."
"The (rugby) authorities have a responsibility to look after us after we retire. But prevention is still better than treatment. I knew what I was doing to my body, but I didn't realize what I was doing to my brain. My biggest problem today is memory, "Scarbrough added.
"I also want to make sure that there are specific measures in place to protect the game at the grassroots level and improve the safety of the sport, at all levels, especially in relation to head injuries."
The players especially criticize the sports authorities for not having sufficiently protected them when the risks of concussions were "known and foreseeable".
Discussions between the players' lawyers and the rugby authorities are underway.
Without wanting to comment specifically on this matter, World Rugby's medical director Eanna Falvey told AFP last week that concussions, now a major subject in rugby, were taken very seriously by rugby leaders.
"There is a lot of unknowns about the long-term effects of concussions, which is why we have chosen to focus on preventive actions. We need proof that there are holes in the device and that we must fill them, ”he added.
© 2021 AFP