Quote: roughyedspud "theres far more 'head on head' contact in NFL even though its been outlawed
and i think van der Westhuisen is just unlucky and one of the small percentage that would get MND anyway..if he was a forward and getting kicked in the head during mauls half a dozen times a game then i could believe it...but not a flyhalf....
obviously if a player gets knocked out theres a duty of care that the club & officials have to look after the player in question.....personally i think they should be made to sit out the rest of the game'"
Agreed, however, a side article in the 'i' also mentions that Bernard Jackman and John Fogarty, both International RU hookers who played for Leinster, have retired due to repeated concussions.
We see players 'groggy' after big hits on TV most weeks yet they play on or have a spell on the bench. I'm not suggesting that we should change the rules to minimise the risk and that would fundamentally change the game for the worse, however, I do think that maybe referees should be more robust in insisting that a player should leave the field for the rest on a game or clubs should be stopped from playing a play for a week or 2 after being knocked out or a severe concussion. Possibly introduce mandatory scans after head injuries?
