Former England rugby star Steve Thompson says he feels like a
"phoney" because he cannot remember being part of the 2003 World
Cup-winning team, two years after being diagnosed with early onset dementia.
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The ex-hooker, 44, is one of scores of former players who have decided to
sue a number of governing bodies for negligence.
Thompson features in a BBC documentary: "Head On:
Rugby, Dementia and
Me" to be aired on Wednesday -- a day after new research was published
suggesting elite players could be at a significantly greater risk of developing
neurodegenerative diseases such as motor neurone disease, Parkinson's and
dementia.
Glasgow consultant neuropathologist Willie Stewart, who led the research
team, has called for urgent action, saying the sport should minimise contact
training and reduce its global calendar.
Thompson, diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable CTE (chronic
traumatic encephalopathy) in November 2020, has packed away his medals and
trophies.
"Around four years ago some of my strongest memories started
disappearing, precious private moments and all the career highlights of two
decades of rugby. So much so I packed away all my most precious memorabilia
because having it around was just too painful," he said in the
documentary.
He added: "When people say 'Oh, you got a World Cup medal' and all this
I feel like a phoney.
"Because it feels like I haven't done it because I can't remember it
and it doesn't feel like me so sometimes when people in public talk about it I
get embarrassed by it."
Thompson, who sometimes forgets the names of his children in the film, said
he believes he is suffering as a result of multiple head impacts he endured as
a player, saying concussion protocols at the time were not safe.
"If you were knocked out and you came back to, you were just told to
get on with it," he said.
"If you had a headache, you were just given headache pills. It wasn't
known as an injury. It would be like: 'At least you haven't pulled your
hamstring, so you can still run.'"
He said rugby authorities, including the Rugby Football Union (RFU), which
is the game's governing body in England, could do more.
"There's been no support from the RFU," he said. "Since I
started the legal action, they've even stopped sending me the birthday card I
got every year."
World Rugby last year issued guidance advising limiting full contact
training to just 15 minutes per week and in July extended its minimum
concussion stand-down period to 12 days.
But Thompson feels the sport could go further.
"It's a little start, but, to be honest, it needs to be three weeks at
least," he says, adding he would still not feel comfortable allowing his
children to play full-contact rugby.
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