Legal proceedings have been formally issued against the Rugby Football League on behalf of 100 former league players who contend the sport was negligent in failing to take reasonable action to protect them from serious brain injuries.
More than 200 rugby union players have launched proceedings already with the support of Rylands Law, and it has now emerged that a similar case has been brought forward by dozens of league players. They argue that the sport’s governing body did not properly protect them from injury caused by repetitive concussive and subconcussive blows.
Many of those players have been diagnosed with neurological impairments including early-onset dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE.
Among the 100 league players involved in the proceedings is the former St Helens and Great Britain forward Nick Fozzard, who has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable CTE.
Fozzard revealed in January that specialists told him his brain scan results were among the worst they had seen. “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 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 a formal lawsuit is under way and the case now appears destined for the courts.
In their 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.”
The RFL told the Guardian: “The RFL takes player safety and welfare extremely seriously, and it has been desperately sad to hear of any players’ difficulties.
“Rugby league is a contact sport and, while there is an element of risk to playing any sport, player welfare is always of paramount importance. As a result of scientific knowledge, the sport of rugby league continues to improve and develop its approach to concussion, head injury assessment, education, management and prevention across the whole game.
“We will continue to use medical evidence and research to reinforce and enhance our approach.”
