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Rugby brain damage class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A group of former rugby players announced a class action lawsuit against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.
- Why: The players claim the rugby officials failed to protect them from permanent brain damage as a result of their careers.
- Where: The health effects of rugby have been felt by several Welsh players.
A group of 185 rugby players will take legal action against rugby governing bodies, World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union, for the authorities’ alleged failure to protect the players from permanent brain damage.
The class action lawsuit, litigated by Rylands Law, is led by 185 former professional and semi-professional rugby players aged from their 30s to 50s.
The lawsuit was first announced in December 2020, but recently gained renewed attention due to former Wales captain Ryan Jones announcing that he would join the class action after being diagnosed with early onset dementia at the age of 41.
Rugby authorities allegedly disregarded player safety
The complaint notes that as a result of repeated concussive and sub-concussive hits, the rugby players now suffer from irreversible neurological damage such as early onset dementia, probable CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and motor neurone disease.
CTE, a progressive degenerative disease of the brain, is commonly associated with American football players, but can be found in players of repetitive contact sports.
“We are seeing the same worrying symptoms in numerous cases across both codes of rugby,” said Rylands Law in a statement. “These symptoms include chronic depression, aggression, significant memory loss, incontinence, drug and alcohol addiction, and, in some cases, suicide attempts.”
With such devastating health effects, the players’ class action claims the rugby authorities showed a disregard for player safety and brain health and failed to educate or warn players about the risks of repetitive blows to the head.
The players also bring claims against the authorities for failing to take any steps to reduce the amount of contact allowed in training, the number of matches per year, and the number of replacements.
Richard Boardman, lead counsel for Rylands, said in a Daily Mail interview that the players in the class action love the game and want to make sure the governing bodies take steps to protect players and support injured former players.
Rylands Law also represents a group of 75 rugby league players in a separate claim. A class action lawsuit involving amateur players and women is on the horizon as well, reports WalesOnline.
What do you think about this class action lawsuit calling attention to brain damage for rugby players? Share your comments below!
The plaintiffs are represented by Richard Boardman of Rylands Law.
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