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'Until last week I didn't know dementia was a potential outcome for any rugby player. That wasn't educated or taught to us'
Former England skipper Dylan Hartley has given his take on the concussion concerns that have blown up around rugby in the wake of last week’s revelation that 2003 World Cup winner Steve Thompson is suffering from early-onset dementia at the age of 42.
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Hartley retired from playing in 2019 and while the ex-England forward didn’t want to open up on his own struggles with concussion, he believes the potential post-playing effects of the issue are of major concern given what has unfolded this past decade in American football.
A major lawsuit was successfully taken against the NFL regarding ex-players suffering from dementia and a lawsuit that has been initiated in rugby involving Thompson stepped up in pace on Thursday with the delivery of a pre-action letter of claim to World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and Welsh Rugby Union on behalf of nine players being represented by Rylands Law.
Appearing as a co-host on the latest episode of the RugbyPass Offload show, ex-England hooker Hartley said: “I have my own issues, I don’t really want to delve into what I struggle with and what my concerns are because I am fully aware this gets picked up and put in newspapers and whatnot so I’d rather keep it personal but I have my concerns.
“I know a few guys involved and I’m in regular contact with them. That is the scariest thing, this isn’t like a doom and a scaremongering story, these guys have families and they are genuinely struggling.
Case takes another step forward https://t.co/fsm3X9BY6k
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 17, 2020
“It’s scary to think that NFL has had CTE and issues with this injury for some time and we play a very similar sport and we have never recognised CTE in our players. We have always seen guys that have had drink problems, bankruptcy, divorce, drug problems, self-harm, suicide dare I say it and we have always said things like they haven’t transitioned well which is a big concern.
“Look, these guys might not have transitioned well but a lot of those things are linked with CTE as well and it’s like isn’t it crazy to suggest that we haven’t hat CTE until now? It’s pretty scary for the game and for all those involved, there are families behind every story.
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“There’s a lot of people saying I would do it [their rugby career] all again but I have looked at these guys, these are guys who have got sore shoulders, sore knees, these are not guys who have early-onset dementia.
“If I had early-onset dementia right now and you asked me would I do it all again I would say no because I want to live a long life and I want to recognise who my kids are, my wife and those sorts of things. If I could do it all again and have buggered knees and a buggered back, I’d take that chance.
“But from when I started until last week, I didn’t know dementia was a potential outcome for any rugby player. That wasn’t educated or taught to us. The game is what it is, they are doing a good job of refereeing the laws of high tackles and they have taken a strong standpoint on red cards.
“A lot of people say the game has gone soft but for good reason seat belt tackles have been outlawed and all these things. The game is doing what it can in that respect.
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“I remember going to a World Rugby conference in Monaco in 2016 and there was a whole load of things going around the table – what I actually said was contact training needs to be regulated because at the time my international environment was very structured.
“We knew how much work we would have in the week but then we would go back to the club environment where it was just up to whoever was coaching that day how they felt how long we would go for and how many we would do.
“I said back then we need to look at NFL and how they regulate, almost have an independent organisation for club environments to feed into and be monitored because there is no way people should be experiencing concussion during the week. If we can eliminate those risks but again you want players to be conditioned for purpose. It’s a tough argument.”
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“With all the stories coming from the ex-players you cannot rush these things and I will never try to come back quickly again from a concussion"
– @alexlozowski10 talks @chrisjonespress ??? through his recent experience of concussion at @MHR_officiel https://t.co/oruMcPHjpu
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 16, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments