A prominent rugby league journalist has hit his colleague and anti-concussion crusader Peter FitzSimons with a stunning spray for treating NRL figures and fans like ‘bogans’.
Former Wallaby FitzSimons, now a leading columnist and author, has clashed with NRL personalities in recent times over his tough stance on concussions leading to the fatal brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
FitzSimons reignited his ongoing feud with former player and current NRL360 co-host James Graham by saying Roosters captain James Tedesco should retire after being knocked out in a match against the Bulldogs.
Graham said FitzSimons was “talking nonsense” and used Tedesco’s profile to emphasize his own relevance.
Journalist Andrew Webster (pictured) has called his colleague FitzSimons ‘condescending’ and told him to stop treating NRL fans and stakeholders as ‘out-of-reach bogans’.
FitsSimons (pictured with wife Lisa Wilkinson) has been a long-time critic of the NRL’s efforts to prevent concussion and the fatal brain disease CTE
‘This kind of behavior [from FitzSimons] uses our game and the very serious issue of concussion to stay alive,” he said.
Now FitzSimons’ Sydney Morning Herald Colleague Andrew Webster lashed out at his colleague without restrictions in a column on Friday.
Webster said FitzSimons wrote a “condescending” and “personal” piece responding to his story warning the NRL not to overreact to calls to ban kickoffs after Dragons star Moses Suli was knocked out cold in Anzac Day last Thursday match against the Sydney Roosters.
Webster wrote that the NRL should abandon “cosmetic changes” such as calls to ban kickoffs and seriously consider how to approach the approach to prevent incidents like Suli, starting at junior football level.
FitzSimons called for Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco to retire after suffering concussion against the Bulldogs this year
Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga (pictured being taken off the ground after a collision) is another NRL player who has had major problems with head impacts
Dragons star Moses Suli was knocked out cold in the first stretch of the Anzac Day match against the Sydney Roosters – and Webster’s column on the reaction to the incident resulted in what he called a ‘personal’ piece from FitzSimons
FitzSimons then responded in his Thursday column, quoting “one of the world’s leading concussion advocates” in Dr. Chris Nowinski.
He pointed to changes in rugby union and the NFL that had not eroded the structure of those competitions, and said major changes also needed to be made in the NRL.
“So, where do you draw the line when it comes to making the game safer? “I will draw the line at brain health and not insist on keeping a small part of the game that causes harm,” he wrote.
“The game has a legal and moral obligation to sort this stuff out.”
That was enough for Webster, who fired up FitzSimons for the way he has framed his ongoing crusade against concussions in sports.
“When colleague Peter FitzSimons writes a piece as condescending and personal as the one published online by the Herald on Thursday, you have to fight,” he wrote.
‘FitzSimons took exception to my column on Monday about the debate going on in the NRL over kick-offs and how they should be banned to prevent concussion.
“As his old colleague, it hurt, but it wasn’t surprising. He does these things to most people who present him with an opposing or slightly different attitude toward concussion.
‘He’s been ruthless. He lectures players, most recently Roosters captain James Tedesco, about their retirement. He has vilified clubs, coaches and commentators.
‘His continued criticism of former Bulldogs captain James Graham, who has spoken openly about his own concussion problems in a well-meaning podcast with The Australian, has become annoying.
‘It is too much. People in rugby league are getting tired of being positioned as outrageous bogans who don’t care about their own interests.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted FitzSimons for comment.
James Graham, who admitted to feeling the impact of numerous concussions during his playing days, has repeatedly clashed with bitter rival FitzSimons
Champion NRL player and coach Paul Green took his own life in 2022 – and it was then discovered he was suffering from the devastating effects of CTE
FitzSimons had not returned as of Friday morning, but he did respond to a follower on social media platform X who raised a point about seniors struggling with CTE after playing contact sports when they were younger.
‘Ex-footballers with early dementia are a nightmare to care for. Even the older ones are still physically strong and incredibly aggressive,” the follower said.
‘Extremely challenging to de-escalate without chemical intervention. And many dementia units in nursing homes cannot handle them.’
FitzSimons agreed with this point, saying it was a key reason why he worked so hard for rule changes in the NRL to prevent concussion.
‘YEP. The stories and reality are very disturbing. Worst of all is for the families affected, especially the women. Absolutely tragic,” he replied.
‘Overall, those faced with the reality of older footballers with CTE – the absolute tragedy of what they and their families face – have no choice but to push hard to change the rules so that today’s footballers have a better chance have to avoid the same. lot.’