Legal complaints had been officially issued towards the Rugby Football League on behalf of 100 former rugby league gamers who contend the game used to be negligent in failing to take cheap motion to offer protection to them from critical mind accidents.
Over 200 rugby union gamers have introduced complaints already with the reinforce of Rylands Law, and it has now emerged {that a} an identical case has been introduced ahead by way of dozens of league gamers. They argue that the game’s governing frame didn’t correctly offer protection to them from damage led to by way of repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows.
Many of the ones gamers had been identified with neurological impairments together with early-onset dementia and persistent tense encephalopathy, sometimes called CTE. Among the 100 league gamers concerned within the complaints is the previous St Helens and Great Britain ahead, Nick Fozzard, who has been identified with early-onset dementia and possible CTE.
Fozzard published in January that consultants instructed him his mind scan effects have been a few of the worst that they had ever observed, additionally pronouncing: “I’m OK so please don’t worry but thought I’d share this: One thing to remember – if rugby league wasn’t the most brutal team sport on earth – I wouldn’t have played it. What a life I had in rugby league.
But Fozzard is among the group of high-profile players who are involved in the proceedings. Others including the former Great Britain half-back Bobbie Goulding, have previously spoken out about a similar diagnosis and their frustration at a lack of support from the sport post-retirement.
A further 40 rugby union players have also come forward to add to the 220-strong contingent of former professional and amateur players involved in that case, while proceedings have been launched by 15 ex-football players including the former Manchester United defender Colin Gibson, who has been diagnosed with dementia.
A pre-action phase was launched against the RFL and later the British Amateur Rugby League Association, BARLA, in September 2021. That was aimed at encouraging all parties to prevent the matter from escalating further and going to trial. But proceedings for the former league players have now officially commenced, meaning that a formal lawsuit is under way and the case now appears destined for the courts.
In his statement issued to the Guardian, Rylands said: “The players we represent love the games they played. We aim to challenge the current perceptions of the sports governing bodies, to reach a point where they accept the connection between repetitive blows to the head and permanent neurological injury and to take steps to protect players and support those who are injured.”