England rugby World Cup winner says sport ‘flogging players until they fall apart’
A member of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team has opened up on the dangers of the sport.
Steve Thompson revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated blows to the head.
He has previously said that he has no memory of winning the World Cup final against Australia.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday 17 April, Thompson criticised the “year-round” workload rugby players face and suggested the sport is “just flogging the players until they fall apart”.
From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.
News Related-
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
Neil Robertson shocked by bad results but has a plan to turn things round
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
Biden apologised to Palestinian-Americans for questioning Gaza death toll, says report