Ex-rugby league stars ‘set to launch legal action against the RFL to sue over brain injuries’

Bobbie Goulding, a former scrum half in Britain, is one of 75 rugby league stars who have suffered brain injuries as a result of playing the sport and are reportedly filing a lawsuit against the Rugby Football League.

The players who claim that the Rugby Football League failed to protect them could reach tens of millions of people suffering from diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s and epilepsy.

They are the first players in the sport to file charges for brain injuries and have joined 220 rugby union pros who filed their own claim earlier this year, as well as 40 former footballers who plan to file a claim for dementia related negligence.

Goulding, who played for St. Helens during his career, started developing symptoms of onset of dementia in his 30s, is one of many who have faced the same problem.

The 50-year-old told the mirror: ‘We are screaming for help. It’s the biggest pandemic to ever hit the sport, and it’s happening now. But Rugby League has rolled up our sleeves for us.’

Paula, the former rugby star’s wife, stood beside him when he heard the news of his diagnosis, he added: “When the specialist said ‘You have early dementia’, Paula and I both started to cry. Our lives changed in an instant. The scariest part is you don’t know how fast it will progress. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I have never been afraid of anything in my life, but I am afraid of this.

“I spend six or seven hours looking out the window. I don’t realize time is passing. There are crazy severe headaches where you feel so sick you can’t lift your head off the pillow and I have to take anti-dizziness tablets every day or the room starts spinning.

‘I keep forgetting things. The other day I went to get something to eat and without thinking I took out my teeth and put them in the fridge. I couldn’t find them for 24 hours.’

Goulding’s other claimants include Welsh duo Michii Edwards and Lenny Woodard, Scottish couple Jason Roach and Ryan MacDonald and England’s Francis Maloney.

Their legal representative will file a “letter of claim” containing 53 crucial allegations on Monday, five days before the start of the Rugby League Cup.

It accuses the RFL of not taking reasonable steps to ensure that players with head injuries are thoroughly assessed and treated. The letter also suggests that the RFL has not protected young players by allowing 16-year-olds to play at a professional level.

The report suggests the new requirements include:

With the potential huge payout, the RFL’s annual insurance bill has reportedly increased four-fold to £1.5 million.

Goulding added: “Before I was diagnosed, I was all set to commit suicide. The only thing that stopped me was looking to the left and seeing a picture of my kids.

“I collapsed on the floor and burst into tears and didn’t stop for hours. I’ve had 30, maybe 40 players contact me who want to end it and I’ve sobbed with them.

‘Terrified, they don’t know where to go. I’ve tried to get them tested and get help, but no one from the sport has contacted them. Rugby League doesn’t matter.’

Goulding played 117 times for St Helens during his career as a scrum half

During his career, Goulding suffered quite a few head injuries and recalls an incident that caused him to lose all control of his body while in the car, less than a week before playing again.

He said: ‘I don’t remember anything until I was in the car and lost control of all my bodily functions. It was like the Exorcist, but I played six days later. You’re looking at 15 severe concussions during my career.

“Almost every game and all the time in training there were things that showed your stars.”

Wife Paula added: ‘It seems crazy now, but we laughed it off. We didn’t know any better.’

To combat the dementia, Goulding takes anti-dizziness pills and participates in an intense daily exercise regimen and reads more to ensure he stays alert.

He said, “I started reading Concussion, the book about brain injuries in the NFL.

“And taking care of my four-year-old grandson Ralphy three or four days a week is my antidote. I am lucky to have a nice family. I want to spend as much time with them as possible because I don’t know if I’ll be the same guy in six months.

“Paula checks my medication and takes care of all the bills because I get confused, frustrated. That comes on top of being the breadwinner. That stings, because I’m an old-fashioned man.

Scottish Jason Roach is one of the other plaintiffs in the case

“If I go backwards in the next 12 months, how is she going to take care of me and work full time? She gets no help from the authorities. That’s not the future I want for her.’

The scrum half thinks he started suffering from the symptoms 15 years ago when he started having headaches, mood swings and depression. He was involved in a 80 km/h car accident in which he suffered a punctured lung, fractured ribs and fractured his shoulder, at a time when he had a drinking problem.

“I admitted I was an alcoholic,” Goulding said. “But I didn’t know what else was going on in my head. They have to get to the bottom of why players do things that are not normal.’

Goulding sought help and went to a Sporting Chance clinic for his alcoholism, but revealed he has had no contact with the RFL since coming out.

He said: ‘I haven’t heard from the Rugby Football League since I came out. It’s all very good to tick boxes about alcohol and depression, send people to Sporting Chance.

“But this goes deeper than that. They don’t want to know.’

Rugby players have an increased risk of dementia and Parkinson’s

According to a study, rugby players are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia and Parkinson’s and 15 times more likely to develop motor neuron disease.

Richard Boadman of Ryland Sports Law represents the 75 rugby league players. He said: ‘We believe that this is an epidemic. Everything our experts have seen suggests that up to half of elite rugby players will develop some kind of neurological disorder.

That means thousands of brain damage and struggling with symptoms, but don’t know what they have. We think hundreds of premature deaths of rugby players could be linked to brain damage.

“Players retire with hundreds of thousands of sub-concussive blows on top of the concussion. Rugby urgently needs to change if the sport is going to survive.’

A spokesperson for the Rugby Football League said: ‘The RFL takes the safety and welfare of players extremely seriously and it is very sad to hear of players’ concerns.

“The well-being of the player always comes first.

“As a result of scientific knowledge, Rugby League sport continues to improve and develop its approach to concussion, head injury assessment, education, management and prevention across the game. We will continue to use medical evidence and research to strengthen and improve our approach.”