US lawsuits bring safety to fore in Irish sport

The $765m (€578m) settlement the National Football League in the US has reached with 4,500 former American football players over concussion-related lawsuits to would fund medical examinations, concussion-related compensation, and medical research could have serious implications here.

The proposed settlement in American football once again brings to the forefront, the issue of player safety in high-contact sport, including rugby union, where major safety fears have also been expressed.

Many former American football players who brought the lawsuits have developed advanced dementia, which say has been as a result of the blows they received while playing. The lawsuits have also been taken by families of former players who have died who believe the death could be contributed to the effects of the trauma.

Among them is the family of Junior Seau, who say the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins star linebacker’s suicide was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing American football.

The lawsuits generally accused the league of hiding known risks of concussions for decades to return players to games and protect its image. For its part, the NFL has denied any wrongdoing and insisted safety always has been a top priority.

Here, the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association pointed out that the game has only been professional for a relatively short period of time so tests on the long-term effects of concussion had not been as well developed as those in America.

A spokeswoman said she was not aware of any cases of rugby-related dementia being highlighted here, but she added the IRUPA was always monitoring the situation and studying the results of any investigations on the topic in rugby and other sports around the world.

The International Rugby Board has tried to address the issue of head injuries and concussions in rugby union by introducing a rule in 2012 which allowed for a five-minute pitchside assessment to deduce if a player was showing signs of concussion.

However, experts believe that, while that new rule safeguards against the danger of a player continuing to play when concussed, it fails to address the dangers of the collisions in the sport which give rise to head injuries.

Earlier this month, Willie Stewart, a neuropathologist at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, reported that he believed he had discovered what he believed to be the first confirmed case of early onset dementia caused by playing rugby.

Dr Stewart said the former player he examined was found to have higher levels of the protein than a retired amateur boxer who has dementia pugilistica, also known as punch-drunk syndrome.