After being publically mooted for almost a year, British law firm, Rylands Legal, have announced that they will be commencing rugby league's first-ever concussion class action lawsuit.
According toย The Sydney Morning Herald'sย Adrian Proszenko, the firm is acting on behalf of players that obtained injuries whilst playing in Europe who claim that the Rugby Football League (RFL) failed in their duty of care.
While the entirety of the more than 50 names that have committed their services to the cause are of British descent, similar action involving Australian players afflicted by brain trauma has also been raised this year.
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Proszenko stated that Rylands is also representing 175 rugby union players who suffered similar concussion-related issues following the ends of their careers and that the players within this latest case were all aged below 60.
Speaking publically, Richard Boardman of Rylands claimed that while each member of their lawsuit was seeking financial compensation, there was also a prevailing sentiment that they were keen to help the game become safer for future generations.
โThe vast majority of the former players we represent love the game and donโt want to see it harmed in any way,โ he said.
โThey just want to make it safer so current and future generations donโt end up like them. Younger players such as Stevie Ward, Rob Burrow, and Sam Burgess have spoken publicly about their own brain damage, so these issues arenโt restricted to older generations.
โThis is why weโre asking the RFL to make a number of immediate, relatively low-cost changes to save the sport, such as limiting contact in training and extending the return to play [following a concussion].โ
Having been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and a high likelihood of operating with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), former English international, Bobbie Goulding has echoed the view that the governing body had failed to protect players' welfare.
โFor something like this to come out of the blue and hit me like a bus is hard to take,โ the 49-year-old said.
โI didnโt think about dementia at all, I just thought it was the way life was. [When I played] I was 13 stone, 5ft 6in [83kgs, 168cm], playing against blokes who were 6ft 2in and 19 stone [188cm, 121kg], and didnโt even bother about it. But it takes its toll in the end, especially if theyโre angry.
โI played within days of serious knockouts on at least three occasions. I remember playing on a Sunday for Leigh at Huddersfield towards the end of my career, [in 2002]. I was in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on the Sunday night after being seriously knocked out, and played the following Saturday against Batley.
โI didnโt have one doctor check on me during that week. โBob, are you ready to play?โ he said. โYeah Iโll play.โ If you watched the video, youโd be shocked.โ
While a date for the commencement of the hearing is yet to be determined, it is still unknown whether a similar lawsuit will eventually be filed on Australian shores.
Still, Proszenko held the view that if this groundbreaking legal action in the Northern Hemisphere proves successful, attempts to right wrongs in courts closer to home could well come to fruition.
