Pinned Tweet
“Speak your truth quietly and clearly and respectfully, and let people know you are not against rugby, you just want to improve the quality of life for your fellow human beings. That is what this is all about.”

Dr Bennet Omalu to Progressive Rugby - March 2021
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And recovery from a brain injury isn’t linear …
@ProgressiveRug Sheehan isn’t in a “race to be fit”. No effort by him or his medics can hurry concussion recovery. 12 days is a minimum stand-down, not a recovery timetable. Monitor, assess and allow time. His brain doesn’t work to the fixture list.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @worldrugbymedia
@worldrugbymedia @dominicrumbles @Scienceofsport @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change “Injury event witnessed with potential to result in a concussive injury” is a stated reason for HIA removal in WR's protocol - But video-review instructions do not tell medics to apply that criterion.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @PremSportsTV
@PremSportsTV @ITVRugby @bbcrugbyunion @SkySportsRugby @andNickMullins @ProgressiveRug Surely professional rugby commentators should know the difference between an HIA and immediate permanent removal and that a mouthguard alert isn’t the only reason to take someone off
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @ProgressiveRug
@ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @DavidWalshST @wattersonjohnny

England v Australia - a snapshot of how many publicly reported concussions both teams have suffered and how long from each players last concussion to his next game
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What have the referees been told about head contact for the Nations Championship? Clear case there; NZ player off for an HIA; no replay etc and Kinghorn still on the pitch.
@WorldRugby talk a good game about player welfare; now they need their actions to match their words.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @Head4Change
the better we can protect our players. If you're a retired male or female rugby union player aged 30-59 who has had three or more concussions, you could help by taking part in this research.

Email damian.bailey@southwales.ac.uk for more information.
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Why does research matter?

Every time a player takes a hit, heads a ball, or makes a tackle, it affects the brain, but we still don't fully understand how

It’s not about stopping people from playing sport, it’s about making sport safer.

The more we understand,
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Shock new #CTE report grim reading for Australia's sports insurers

#SportsGov #Risk #AthleteSafety #BrainInjury

insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaki…
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @IrishRugby
@IrishRugby @EnglandRugby @Scotlandteam @WelshRugbyUnion @dominicrumbles @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @Scienceofsport

@WorldRugby’s trial approval is central to @NProSports’ sales pitch. What due diligence has World Rugby done? Are parents and other buyers being misled?

🧵1/3
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RT @SkySportsNews: Phil Vickery speaks candidly about managing his mental health following a diagnosis of probable CTE and discusses the on…
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @ultimaterugby
@ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @DavidWalshST Six players in the NZ squad announced today have recently been out with concussion. Their publicly reported histories include repeated episodes and, for Aumua, months of headaches. No suggestion of mishandling or protocol breaches.
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Absolutely horrific news from France. Just tragic

france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquit…
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
The relationship between contact sports and CTE is a lot like smoking and lung cancer: the more exposure, the greater the risk. In science, that’s called a dose-response relationship.

Recent research found that NFL players with long careers face a 4x higher risk of developing is finding especially striking is the magnitude of the association compared with other recognized risk factors, including lead exposure and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

As the science advances, one message is clear: exposure matters. Understanding the long-term risks of repetitive head impacts is critical to protecting athletes at every level.
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Article by the excellent @DavidWalshST on player welfare and that match in Perth

thetimes.com/article/23db33…
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We need more of this - the primary responsibility of all referees is player safety.
Excellent referring by Craig Evans at the w/e when insisting on confirmation from medics that Gavin Coombes didn't need a HIA - I thought he did, but Craig did what he could - More refs should do the same @WorldRugby @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @dominicrumbles @PremSportsTV
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Progressive Rugby retweeted
Replying to @WorldRugby
@WorldRugby @dominicrumbles @ProgressiveRug @Head4Change @Scienceofsport Two players played yesterday 2 weeks after reportedly being concussed - I assume previous history would have been considered but it doesn't seem to have resulted in a longer stand-down - Player Welfare?
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Desperately, desperately sad news
Former Wallaby Nathan Charles, who defied cystic fibrosis to play international rugby, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

The 37-year-old, who played four Test matches for Australia in 2014, publicly announced his diagnosis during an interview with Stan Sport.
o/MyA1azNvTK

Keep up with all the latest sport news and analysis on ABC listen: ab.co/ABCListenApp
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Terrifying that according to the Times Furbank is expected back next week - he was knocked out cold last weekend and has a significant history of concussions / traumatic brain injuries. He should be stood down for a significant length of time and definitely longer than 13 days.
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