World Cup hero CAN'T REMEMBER 2003 triumph after dementia diagnosis
Rugby NewsTuesday, 08 December 2020 at 14:43
England legend Steve Thompson and seven other former players claim the sport has left them with permanent brain damage
The 42-year-old, who won the Rugby World Cup with England in 2003, revealed he has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and is joining a group of former players in a potentially landmark legal action for the sport.
“You see us lifting the World Cup and I can see me there jumping around. But I can’t remember it,” Thompson said.
“I’d rather have just had a normal life. I’m just normal. Some people go for the big lights, whereas I never wanted that.
"Would I do it again? No, I wouldn’t. I can’t remember it. I’ve got no feelings about it."
It is understood a letter of claim, amounting to millions of pounds in damages, will be sent next week to the governing bodies for English and Welsh rugby and World Rugby - and a group class action could follow.
World Rugby has issued a statement, saying: "While not commenting on speculation, World Rugby takes player safety very seriously and implements injury-prevention strategies based on the latest available knowledge, research and evidence."
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