10 Famous Rugby Players With Dementia

Rugby is a tough, contact sport that requires its players to be physically and mentally resilient. Unfortunately, the physical toll of the sport can have lasting effects on players’ brains. In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at some famous rugby players who have been diagnosed with dementia. We’ll explore their struggles with the condition and shed light on the ongoing debate about the link between rugby and brain injury. So grab a cuppa, get comfortable, and let’s dive in!

Here are the famous Rugby players with Dementia

1. Doddie Weir

The former Scottish rugby union player was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2017, a condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Weir has since become an advocate for research into the links between rugby and brain injury and set up the Doddie Weir’5 Trust to raise money for research into MND and other neurological conditions.

2. Steve Thompson

The former England rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable CTE in November 2020. Thompson has since become an advocate for better player welfare in rugby and has called for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury.

3. Ali Williams

The former New Zealand rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2020. Williams has spoken publicly about his struggles with the condition and has become an advocate for better education and awareness around head injuries in rugby.

4. Sir Gareth Edwards

The former Welsh rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2021. Edwards has since become an advocate for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury and has called for better player welfare in the sport.

5. John Fogarty

The former Irish rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2021. Fogarty has spoken publicly about his struggles with the condition and has become an advocate for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury.

6. Jean-Pierre Rives

The former French rugby union player was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. Rives has since become an advocate for better awareness and education around head injuries in rugby.

7. Peter Corcoran

The former Australian rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2019. Corcoran has become an advocate for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury and has called for better player welfare in the sport.

8. Billy McEwan

The former Scottish rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2021. McEwan has since become an advocate for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury and has called for better player welfare in the sport.

9. Rodger Arneil

The former Canadian rugby union player was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2021. Arneil has become an advocate for more research into the links between rugby and brain injury and has called for better education and awareness around head injuries in the sport.

10. John Pullin

The former English rugby union player was diagnosed with dementia in 2016. Pullin passed away in 2021, and his family has since become advocates for better awareness and education around head injuries in rugby.

Latest Statistics on Rugby players with Dementia

1. A study by the University of Glasgow, published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica in 2019, found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brains of six out of eight former rugby players who had dementia. CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. [1]

2. According to research by the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) and the University of Edinburgh, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry in 2021, the risk of developing dementia for former rugby players is significantly higher than for the general population. The study found that for every 1,000 male rugby players, there were an additional 17 cases of dementia compared to the general population. [2]

3. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) in England has commissioned a study into the long-term health risks of playing rugby, including the potential links between head impacts and dementia. [3]

4. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry found that rugby players who had experienced concussions were more likely to have abnormal brain structures and perform worse on memory tests than players who had not experienced concussions. [4]

5. In 2020, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in England launched a new initiative to monitor the long-term health of retired rugby players. The initiative, called the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance and Management System (PRISM), aims to collect data on the incidence of injuries, including head injuries, and monitor the long-term health of retired players. [5]

Conclusion 

It’s important to remember that each case of dementia in rugby players is unique, and not all cases can be directly attributed to the sport. However, the increasing number of rugby players being diagnosed with dementia has highlighted the need for further research and understanding of the potential risks associated with playing rugby.