BOD's Injury

[LeRouxIsPHat]

cleared to resume playing after successfully completing a mandatory cognitive test

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/spo ... 56103.html

That prompted an image in my head of Kidney being told by the Doc that he'd be out for a while because there was a huge variance in the test and Kidney just saying "no there isn't, he's fine"

[Hickiefan]

What does it say about me that I got a better score on the cognitive test I undertook after Twickenham last weekend than the pre-season equivalent? Perhaps I'm getting smarter with age!!!
Seriously though, it is a rigorous examination of concentration and memory and for a moment or two during the test I was transported be back to Mr. Byrne's class in primary school. You do have to have all your faculties to pass muster.

As for the blame game, I'm beginning to come round to the suggestion that Riki Flutey is the villain of the piece. If he had not tripped me, I think I would have collected the chip ahead comfortably and not found myself scrambling around unaware that I was about to become road-kill.

I'm not totally exonerating Paulie but there is mitigation involved in our collision.

Having asked Paulie to step into the breach and deliver the captain's speech at the post-match banquet in France, I felt it wasn't fair to do that to him again after the England game.

I went to the dinner, spoke and immediately left to go back to the team hotel in Chiswick. Given that I wasn't going to have a drink there were not too many pangs of conscience when I tucked into a burger.

I didn't really get a chance to talk to anyone at the dinner but that was probably as much to do with the way I was feeling after contracting a bug/virus prior to the match. I wasn't very talkative. Suppose I was happy enough just making the game, a minor achievement in my own head. I was thankful to see the rain because it slowed the game down a bit.

The illness was definitely a distraction and I was grateful to Paulie and Jamie (Heaslip), amongst others, who did most of the talking prior to the match. I think I managed to camouflage the fact that I wasn't feeling great on the pitch, reasonably well.

I found myself with a vested interest - I was looking for updates during the match - in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup match between St. Gerard's and St Michael’s. I know the Gerard's winger Jett Desmond and had sent him a text after they beat Blackrock College in the previous round.

Having got past Terenure College and Blackrock, I thought Gerard's had a shot of getting to the final, which would have been a huge boost for the school. Unfortunately for the Bray school, it was not to be.

http://www.irishrugby.ie/supporters/10735_19931.php

[nelly the elephant]

Another topic I want to touch upon is concussion in rugby, which has seen vast improvements since the development of cogsport.

At the start of every season we must take a basic brain reaction test on a lap top. Pick up a head injury and you cannot go back playing until you attain your cogsport test scores.

Concussion is a trauma to the brain and it swells so one concussion makes you more susceptible to another one. I failed it four times two seasons back so was not insured to play until I passed.

The NFL have taken a leaf out of rugby union’s book by looking at adopting cogsport.

I've no doubt Brian will be tested before being allowed back on the field. Hopefully he'll be OK for his 100th cap against Wales.

Was sent this link by the brother yesterday.....................sobering reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... -destroyed

[Donny B.]

Was sent this link by the brother yesterday.....................sobering reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... -destroyed

Very sad stuff. Duerson was a fantastic player.

[BlueArmyOriginal]

Was sent this link by the brother yesterday.....................sobering reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... -destroyed

That is pretty heavy stuff! Rugby needs to address this issue quickly. We're going to have a serious problem with players health and more pertinantly former players health (a la Duerson) in 10-15 years time I fear unless proper structures and welfare facilities are put in place now.

[nelly the elephant]

Was sent this link by the brother yesterday.....................sobering reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... -destroyed

That is pretty heavy stuff! Rugby needs to address this issue quickly. We're going to have a serious problem with players health and more pertinantly former players health (a la Duerson) in 10-15 years time I fear unless proper structures and welfare facilities are put in place now.

Exactly.....it hit home on two fronts. I'm a huge NFL fan anyway but the obvious extrapulation is the potential harm rugby players are doing to themselves as the hits become harder, faster and more frequent in the modern game.

[Mauler]

AMERICAN FOOTBALL LAWSUIT: A LAW SUIT being fought in the US involving the NFL and 75 former professional American football players could have implications for sports in Ireland.

The NFL and sports equipment company Riddell Inc are being sued over allegations that the league and company concealed data about dangers of concussion.

According to the lawsuit filed in California on Tuesday, former NFL stars, including Miami Dolphins receiver Mark Duper, allege league officials knew for more than 75 years concussions posed long-term health risks and didn’t warn players, coaches or trainers.

The players are seeking unspecified damages from the NFL and Riddell, the league’s official helmet maker.

“For decades, defendants have known that multiple blows to the head can lead to long-term brain injury, including memory loss, dementia and depression,” states the 81-page complaint.

The league issued a warning in June of last year that brain injuries from concussions, which result from brain movement within the skull after an impact, “may lead to problems with memory and communication, personality changes, as well as depression and the early onset of dementia.”

According to Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, officials plan to “vigorously contest” players’ claims that the league withheld information about health risks tied to concussions.

The former NFL players contend in the suit they suffer from dementia, headaches, lost memories, blurred vision and depression as a result of repeated concussions suffered from bone-jarring hits and tackles.

The players argue the league and Riddell officials should have warned them earlier about the long-term risks of such blows.

Within the last year professional Irish rugby players Bernard Jackman and John Fogarty have both retired from the game due to ongoing issues with concussion, while the International Rugby Board (IRB) last month issued a new “more robust” set of guidelines regarding the recognition and treatment of concussion in players.

Players are not permitted to wear heavily-padded protection, which was being promoted by Australian back Berrick Barnes, who recently took time out of the game because of repeated concussions, but now hopes to play in this summer’s World Cup.

Biomechanics expert Dr Andrew McIntosh completed a study for the IRB and Australian Rules on the effectiveness of headgear in concussion prevention. His report showed the standard headgear approved by the IRB made no difference to concussion rates when compared with players who wore no headgear.

“I was struggling with cognitive tests and had been getting the symptoms for a while so I suppose I was at the high end of things,” Fogarty told The Irish Times last month. “When I got knocked out playing for Leinster against Treviso it didn’t take too much at all. It was a fella’s head that glanced off my face.”

A study released earlier this month by a Loyola University of Chicago professor found athletes who play American football showed symptoms of mild brain dysfunction at an earlier age than non-playing peers. In addition, there was more illness among the retired athletes than non-athletes around the same age.

Earlier this month, former Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey, who was ranked by Sports Illustrated magazine as the third-best player in his position in NFL history, died after being diagnosed with dementia.

Traumatic brain damage was found in autopsies of Andre Waters, a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back who killed himself in November 2006 at the age of 44, and former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson, who killed himself in February at age 50.

The NFL has taken steps over the last three years to address concussion concerns by restricting helmet-to-helmet contact and fining players for violating those restrictions. Commissioner Roger Goodell told the league’s 32 clubs players with concussion symptoms can’t play or practise until cleared by a neurologist.

The players’ suit alleges the NFL was negligent in failing to warn them and league medical personnel about the long-term health threats tied to concussions. The suit also contends Riddell’s helmets were defective because they didn’t “provide adequate protection” from concussions.

Rugby players are permitted to wear IRB-sanctioned protective head gear which must adhere to strict specifications that they be a maximum one centimetre thick. Barnes had wanted to wear protective headgear similar to that used by amateur boxers, which would protect the temple area and also the back of the head, but it was not allowed under the IRB laws.

The wearing of IRB-approved padded headgear, ie a scrumcap, has been sanctioned on the basis that it should not cause harm or injury to anyone on the field of play.

Duper, a former receiver, “suffered multiple concussions that were improperly diagnosed and treated throughout his 10-year career”, according to the suit.

Mitchell, a kick returner and running back for the Cardinals from 1981 to 1989, contends in the suit that he suffers from “headaches, neck problems, vision problems and occasional confusion” as a result of repeated concussions during his playing days.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/spo ... 26616.html

[Broken Wing]

Was sent this link by the brother yesterday.....................sobering reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... -destroyed

That is pretty heavy stuff! Rugby needs to address this issue quickly. We're going to have a serious problem with players health and more pertinantly former players health (a la Duerson) in 10-15 years time I fear unless proper structures and welfare facilities are put in place now.

Exactly.....it hit home on two fronts. I'm a huge NFL fan anyway but the obvious extrapulation is the potential harm rugby players are doing to themselves as the hits become harder, faster and more frequent in the modern game.

I'm not denying there's potential harm involved in rugby as the hits get harder and faster (we've only to look at Leinster's retirees last season to see there is) but there's a huge difference in the head contact in rugby and American football.

In American football the tackling is done with the head as opposed to the shoulder in rugby. If you're a lineman (as I was, usually playing O and D) then you spend three hours butting heads with another guy. You do the same in training, week after week. At professional level you're doing it in training day after day (in Ireland we only trained once a week) for years. That's after doing it for years through high school and college before being picked up by an NFL franchise. For safetys (like Duerson) your job is to hit the receiver if he gets the ball or the running back or the quarter back if you can get to him. There's also some hitting involved in kick returns and, of course, when you pick off an intercept. That would mean less hits per game than a lineman, line backer or running back but possibly higher velocity hits. Of course you're still putting in the hits in training.

There's not many rugby players that are intentionally banging heads that hard that often.

[mtleinster]

There's not many rugby players that are intentionally banging heads that hard that often.

kevin mclaughlin is a head into contact player, both in defense and attack. I'm surprised he hasnt done more neck injurys

[Scott]

Broke into a cold sweat when saw this thread title active

[Donny B.]

Sad to hear that Andre Waters had also committed suicide back in 2006. Like Duerson he was a hard hitting safety, one of the best of his generation. The price being paid by these men is far too high for a sport.

[Isaac4leinster]

There's not many rugby players that are intentionally banging heads that hard that often.

kevin mclaughlin is a head into contact player, both in defense and attack. I'm surprised he hasnt done more neck injurys

Without stating the obvious NFL guys wear helmets, which do mitigate against injury though as I understand it the helmets were not as effective as thought. The NFL have also banned head on head tackling.

According to research into the issue you only need to be concussed a relatively small amount of times for this to become an issue. Jackman has said that he was concussed at least 30 times.
This will be a big problem in rugby, though it pales in comparison to amount of people that die or become paraplegic every year in rugby.

This has been a problem in national hunt horse racing for years. Many jockeys end up become punch drunk and then become alcoholics.

[bluemagic]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/o ... 32928.html

Brilliant news, not entirely surprised but very pleasing all the same! Surely he'll need a comeback match first though? Can even the great man have a first match back from an 8 month layoff?

[Scott]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/o ... 32928.html

Brilliant news, not entirely surprised but very pleasing all the same! Surely he'll need a comeback match first though? Can even the great man have a first match back from an 8 month layoff?

last time that guy wrote an article about Leinster rugby the branch had to issue a statement denying his bullshit claims, just saying

[fourthirtythree]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/o ... 32928.html

Brilliant news, not entirely surprised but very pleasing all the same! Surely he'll need a comeback match first though? Can even the great man have a first match back from an 8 month layoff?

last time that guy wrote an article about Leinster rugby the branch had to issue a statement denying his bullshit claims, just saying

And whatever the headline says, the actual quote from Gibbes says "I think he's going to go and see the surgeon in the next couple of weeks to see where he's at" i.e. it says nothing. That story's a spacer.

[Benji]

I spoke to a Physio thats does a bit of work for Leinster and he said Bod is doing great. His in the gym and lifting weights that he hasnt been able to lift in years. Their happy with the shoulder but no mention of the return date.
Would be great to see the genius back playing soon with Ireland and Leinster.

[Sauvignon Blank]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/o ... 32928.html

Brilliant news, not entirely surprised but very pleasing all the same! Surely he'll need a comeback match first though? Can even the great man have a first match back from an 8 month layoff?

last time that guy wrote an article about Leinster rugby the branch had to issue a statement denying his bullshit claims, just saying

And whatever the headline says, the actual quote from Gibbes says "I think he's going to go and see the surgeon in the next couple of weeks to see where he's at" i.e. it says nothing. That story's a spacer.

Beat me to it.

I'll wait and see what BOD has to say first and foremost.

[Darce]

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/13336.php

[Mauler]

Drico's old man on newstalk just said BOD "back in three or four weeks" !!!

[johng]

Drico's old man on newstalk just said BOD "back in three or four weeks" !!!

That's Ospreys or Munster game. WhooHooo!