(The Observer) – While it’s incredible to see how fast women’s rugby is growing – with packed stadiums, professional contracts and global attention – it’s hard to celebrate without thinking about those who came before.
More than 700 union players are suing World Rugby, England Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union for what they allege to be a failure to adequately educate players and protect them from brain injuries. The vast majority of the claimants are men, although a small number of women are included in the lawsuit.
Some of those claimants have received brain scans that reveal early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a form of brain disease that can only be diagnosed postmortem. CONTINUE