Rugby chiefs accused of ‘putting money before safety of female players’ over concussion fears

World Rugby and the SRU have been accused of “putting money before the safety of rugby players” by failing to act on a growing body of evidence suggesting that women are more vulnerable to concussion than men.

speaking exclusively to sports mailDr Marshall Garrett, who prepared an independent report for the Aberdeen Grammar Rugby club on the increased concussion risks for women who play the sport, said that on the ‘balance of probabilities, it shows that there is a higher risk for women and a higher risk of long-term hardship.”

In 2021, Dr Willie Stewart, a consultant neuropathologist at the University of Glasgow and a leading researcher on brain injuries in sport, said he was increasingly concerned about the potential long-term consequences for women who play football and rugby union in terms of concussion. brain, saying the risk is ‘approximately double’ that of their male counterparts.

Rugby bosses have been accused of “putting money before player safety” by failing to act on evidence that women are more vulnerable to concussion than men.

Despite being presented with Garrett’s report, the SRU has yet to take any action and its guidance for male and female players remains the same. Now the Scottish National League Division One team is asking players to sign a legal waiver, which highlights the increased risk to women, before taking part in contact rugby, although they will now meet with the SRU on January 5.

Garrett, a medico-legal expert, said: “Their (governing bodies) position of not making changes or provisions or not informing women of evidence showing they are at increased risk, cannot be supported from a medical point of view. or conscience.

‘Yes, one could say that they are delaying, that they are slow, that they need more research, etc., but that only sets the can back for another five, six, ten years. A more bitter view would be to say that money is being put before player safety.

Dr Marshall Garrett told Sportsmail that on the “balance of probabilities, it shows that there is a higher risk for women and a higher risk of long-term difficulties.”

Rugby officials including World Rugby have been accused of failing players. Pictured: World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont

‘International sport, televised sport, has a very significant level of funding behind it. The vast majority of it comes from international exposure through the media and television and I’m afraid one has to think that the people who run international sport are businessmen looking for cash flow and anything that might affect that flow. of cash is viewed negatively.

“So ultimately, the research may be being talked about, but the position being taken is that women are not being disclosed that they are at higher risk in all contact sports.

“Let’s put it this way: if you’re going to have someone participate in a sport like skydiving, for example, the person participating knows the risks, and if the parachute fails, they die. They have a backup pipeline, but they know the bottom line if that doesn’t work.

“In this case, women are participating in a collision sport and are unaware that they are at higher risk for concussion (brain injury) and are also at higher risk for more severe and long-lasting symptoms than their male counterparts. The failure to disclose that information given the overwhelming evidence to support that view, I have to see as morally inappropriate.’

sports mail understands that World Rugby is taking the report ‘extremely seriously’. It is now being scrutinized by an independent concussion task force, made up of a panel of world-leading experts from across rugby. A response is expected imminently from Dr. Garrett.

Gordon Thomson, president of the Aberdeen Grammar Rugby club, who commissioned the report, said sports mail they were left with no choice but to submit legal consent forms after failing to receive adequate information about the risks of major concussion in women.

Thomson, who has been with Aberdeen Grammar for almost 30 years, says there has been particular fear about concussions in female players and that authorities are failing in their duty of care by failing to inform women of the risks involved in the play.

“They are not ‘little men’, which seems to be the position World Rugby occupies,” he said. Aberdeen Grammar were asked to form an adult women’s rugby team as a result of the SRU initiative to build a long-term commitment to increasing female participation in rugby.

Garrett believes sports authorities are prioritizing money over player welfare

The club was also tasked with encouraging the girls in its mini section, and female students in the schools in which they train, to progress in junior contact rugby for girls. Thomson said the SRU did not offer any advice on the greatest risks for women and no additional risks were identified.

When contacted by sports mail Commenting on the allegations, a World Rugby spokesperson said: ‘World Rugby is one of the main funders of sport-based research on concussion, especially in the women’s game. Our six-point plan to make rugby the most progressive sport for player welfare includes a specific line on the women’s game and we are committed to ensuring that all World Rugby-funded research projects cover cohorts of both the men’s and women’s game. feminine, treating them as independent.’

Meanwhile, the SRU issued a statement saying: “Scottish Rugby held an informative and productive meeting with Dr. Garrett and Gordon Thomson in October and agreed to share his report with World Rugby to help further understanding of the information he presented on female concussion”.