Former Rugby Players File Negligence Lawsuit
The plaintiffs allege negligence regarding the handling of head injuries. Former England hooker Steve Thompson is among those cited, stating he has no memory of playing in the 2003 World Cup final. The case follows a 2023 study regarding player health. Over 1,000 former rugby players from both Union and League disciplines have filed a lawsuit against rugby's governing bodies. New Zealand rugby has previously acknowledged a correlation between Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and head knocks but stated that insufficient research has been conducted. The lawsuit seeks to address whether enough research has been performed on the long-term effects of head impacts. There are claims of injustice regarding how player health was managed in the past. The plaintiffs argue that deaths or cognitive declines might have been misattributed to mental health issues without proper brain examinations.
Topics
Developing
- 862d Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore.
- 862d Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
- 862d Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est.
- 862d Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium.
Sources · 7 independent
“over a thousand former rugby players, Union and League, are now bringing a landmark case against rugby's governing bodies, alleging negligence in their handling of head injuries.”
“World rugby have denied any liability in the ongoing lawsuit arguing injuries are a foreseeable and inherent risk in playing sport.”
“head knocks but believe that not Not enough research has been done. And even in death now, if we're not careful, he'll be betrayed as well.”
“if they hadn't had their brains examined, there's a really big chance that their deaths would have been attributed to mental health issues. Oh, they'd lost their minds. It really wasn't anything to do with rugby. They knew it was, they got their brains examined. And of course the examinations told us that they had CTE.”
“the lawsuit that could change rugby forever. Today's producer was Sophie McNulty. Shane had his own destiny. Then I did my best and he let me be there for a bit.”
“the lawsuit that could change rugby forever. Today's producer was Sophie McNulty. Shane had his own destiny.”
“the lawsuit that could change rugby forever. Today's producer was Sophie McNulty. That was Holly Parks, the former partner of Shane Christie.”
“the lawsuit that could change rugby forever. Today's producer was Sophie McNulty. That was Holly Parks, the former partner of Shane Christie. Next week, Carl Heyman, early onset dementia and the lawsuit that could change rugby forever.”
Unlock the full story
Get a Pro subscription or above to see the live story progression and the full list of independent sources confirming each event as they happen.
Log in to upgrade