Ex-rugby league stars ‘set to launch legal action against the RFL to sue over brain injuries’

Bobbie Goulding, a former Great Britain scrum-half, is one of 75 rugby league stars who have suffered brain injuries as a consequence of playing the sport that are reportedly launching a legal case against the Rugby Football League.

The players making the claim, which could reach into the tens of millions, state that the Rugby Football League failed to protect them, with some now suffering from illnesses such as dementia, Parkinson’s and epilepsy.

They are the first players from the sport to sue over suffering brain injuries and have joined 220 rugby union pros who launched their own claim earlier this year, as well as 40 former footballers who are planning to bring a claim for dementia-related negligence.

Goulding, who starred for St Helens during his career, started to suffer symptoms of early-onset dementia during his 30s and is one of many that have had to deal with the same issue.

The 50-year-old told The Mirror: ‘We are crying out for help. It’s the biggest pandemic that’s ever going to hit the sport, and it’s happening now. But Rugby League has washed its hands of us.’

The former rugby star’s wife Paula was by his side when he was told the news of his diagnosis, he added: ‘When the specialist said, ‘You’ve got early-onset dementia,’ Paula and I both started crying. 

Our lives changed in an instant. The scariest bit is not knowing how fast it will progress. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I’ve never been scared of anything in my life, but I’m scared of this. I sit looking out the window for six or seven hours.

‘I don’t realise time is passing. There’s mad, bad headaches, where you feel so sick you can’t lift your head off the pillow and I have to take anti-dizziness tablets every day, otherwise the room starts spinning.

‘I keep forgetting things. The other day I went to get something to eat and, without thinking, I took my teeth out and put them in the fridge. I couldn’t find them for 24 hours.’

Bobbie Goulding suffers from early onset dementia after injuries from playing rugby league

Goulding’s other claimants include Welsh duo Michii Edwards and Lenny Woodard, Scottish pair Jason Roach and Ryan MacDonald and England’s Francis Maloney.

Their legal representative will be listing a ‘letter of claim’ listing 53 crucial allegations on Monday, which comes five days before the start of the Rugby League Cup.

It is accusing the RFL of not taking reasonable steps to make sure players suffering head injuries were thoroughly assessed and given treatment. The letter also suggests that the RFL failed to protect young players by giving permission to 16-year-olds to play at the professional level.

With the potential massive payout, the RFL has had its annual insurance bill reportedly rise by four times to £1.5million.

Goulding added: ‘Before I was diagnosed, I was all set to commit suicide. The only thing that stopped me was looking to my left and seeing a photo of my children.

‘I collapsed on the floor and burst out crying and didn’t stop for hours. I’ve had 30, maybe 40 players contact me who want to end it all and I’ve sobbed with them.

‘Frightened to death, they don’t know where to turn. I’ve tried to get them tested and get them help, but no one from the sport has contacted them. Rugby League doesn’t care.’

Goulding played 117 times for St Helens during his career as a scrum half (pictured above)

During his career Goulding suffered his fair share of head injuries and remembers one incident that left him losing all control of his body while in the car, less than a week before playing again.

He said: ‘I don’t remember anything until I was in the car and lost control of all my bodily functions. It was like the Exorcist, but I played six days later. You’re looking at 15 bad concussions during my career.

‘Ones that left you seeing stars happened nearly every game and all the time in training.’

Wife Paula added: ‘It seems crazy now, but we laughed it off. We didn’t know better.’

To battle the dementia, Goulding takes anti-dizziness pills and takes part in an intense daily training regime as well as reading more to make sure he stays alert. He said: ‘I started off reading Concussion, the book about brain injury in the NFL.

‘And looking after my four-year-old grandson Ralphy three or four days a week is my antidote. I’m lucky to have a lovely family. I want to spend as much time with them because I don’t know if I’m going to be the same bloke in six months.

‘Paula checks my medication and handles all the bills because I get confused, frustrated. That’s on top of being the breadwinner. That stings, because I’m an old-fashioned guy.

Scotland’s Jason Roach is one of the other claimants in the case 

‘If I deteriorate over the next 12 months, how is she supposed to care for me as well as work full time? She gets no help from the authorities. That’s not the future I want for her.’

The scrum-half thinks that he started suffering from the symptoms 15 years ago as he started to have headaches, mood swings as well as depression. He was involved in a car accident at 50mph in which he suffered a punctured a lung, broke ribs and broke his shoulder, in a time that he had a drinking problem.

‘I admitted I was an alcoholic,’ Goulding said. ‘But I didn’t know what else was happening inside my head. They need to get to the bottom of why players are doing things out of the norm.’

Seeking help, Goulding attended a Sporting Chance clinic for his alcoholism, but he revealed that he has not had contact with the RFL since coming out.

He said: ‘I haven’t heard from the Rugby Football League since I came out. It’s all very well ticking boxes on alcohol and depression, sending people to Sporting Chance. But this goes deeper than that. They don’t want to know.’

Rugby union players have an increased risk of suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s

Rugby union players are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from dementia and Parkinson’s and are 15 times more likely to get motor neurone disease, according to a study.

Ryland Sports Law’s Richard Boadman is representing the 75 rugby league players. He said: ‘We are of the view that this is an epidemic. Everything our experts have seen suggests that up to half of elite rugby players will end up with some kind of neurological impairment.

‘That means thousands have brain damage and are struggling with symptoms but aren’t aware what they have. We think hundreds of premature deaths of rugby players may be linked to brain damage.

‘Players are retiring with hundreds of thousands of sub-concussive blows on top of the concussions. Rugby urgently needs to change if the sport is going to survive.’

A spokesman for Rugby Football League said: ‘The RFL takes player safety and welfare extremely seriously, and it has been desperately sad to hear of any players’ difficulties. Player welfare is always of paramount importance.

‘As a result of scientific knowledge, the sport of Rugby League continues to improve and develop its approach to concussion, head injury assessment, education, management and prevention across the whole game. 

‘We will continue to use medical evidence and research to reinforce and enhance our approach.’