Concussion: Lessons rugby can learn from the US as NFL tackles lawsuits

FULL FORCE: Green Bay’s Aaron Jones collides with Michael Brockers of the Los Angeles Rams during the NFC divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field on Saturday. In 2013, the NFL agreed a $1bn settlement with retired players who had suffered neurodegenerative disorders associated with chronic brain trauma. Picture: Dylan Buell/Getty

The storm clouds on the horizon for rugby when it comes to concussion darkened significantly lately. The news of a lawsuit being pursued by former high-profile players such as Steve Thompson in Britain has implications for the game everywhere: if successful, will that lawsuit open the floodgates from Ireland to New Zealand?

Those rugby players and their legal advisers have no doubt tracked events in the United States closely. A long-running controversy about the brain damage sustained by American football players has had several significant milestones: concerns about the damage done by concussion and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) led to the NFL agreeing a $1 billion settlement in 2013 with retired players who had suffered neurodegenerative disorders associated with chronic brain trauma.