Renowned rugby league hardman Ian Roberts has discovered he has brain damage as a result of his bruising career.
Roberts played 213 rugby league games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Sea Eagles, North Queensland Cowboys and Wigan Warriors across the 1980s and 90s.
Since retiring from the sport in 1998 he has moved into the theatre but when he was struggling to remember lines and battled depression he believed something was deeply affecting him.
Roberts joined a study of 25 former professional rugby league players and 25 other men of similar age with no history of brain injury. Roberts’ results confirmed he had scarring on the brain as a result of multiple brain injuries over the course of his career.
The study itself found the former players to have worse working memory, loss of concentration, struggled learning new tasks and slower reaction times when compared with the control group.
The rugby league and professional sporting landscape has changed significantly since Roberts’ days. Back when the barnstorming prop was plying his trade, playing through a concussion was a sign of strength.
Now we know the dangers of concussions and technologies are being developed to better detect, monitor and treat concussions.
Recently on the Brain and Power Podcast I interviewed Dr Adrian Cohen from the University of Sydney who is developing the Concussionometer in conjunction with Randwick Rugby Union.
Dr Cohen’s device will be able to diagnose players with concussion within a matter of minutes and be used to monitor their recovery.
The aim is to collect and provide as much information as possible on the risks of concussion, allowing for better treatment of players as well as allowing them to make decisions on their careers whilst being fully aware of the consequences.
As Dr Cohen points out, concussion is classified medically as a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and it needs to be taken seriously. There have been cases where a player suffering a second concussion whilst still concussed has died.
Replies
Sad if this is true as no doubt others could be affected; he was a good player....i wonder if the NRL will look more closely at this?
It is true, his results show he has irreversible brain tissue scarring. The NRL has, in recent years, taken steps to address concussion, what I would like to see is the NRL work more closely with Dr Cohen as that could see a massive improvement in player wellbeing.
OK! - Understood Kags. - we are so close to the season start, I'm about to explode, mate!!
I'd like to remind those who decided to post jokes about Roberts' sexual orientation in this blog that comments like that are unacceptable on this site.
Roberts was a leader on the field and his personal life should not be made a mockery of.
I think this blogs nothing more than bait from you super
Super why is this in top blogs?
You leave blogs out like big daves who spent a whole night on it, it was an outstanding blog about our club written by a great member of the site, you were here, saw the blog, saw people asking you to promote it but nothing.
Then you go and put this up, seriously mate WTF is wrong with you, the top blogs situation is a complete disgrace and its a great demonstration that you in particular couldnt give a fuck about the site or its members.
Too many blows to the head will do that to you .
Dont fall for his bait mate, that announcement up there from him has laid his platform to ban, thats all this blog is, bait
It’s seems Phil has deserted the site and left this dope to his own devices .
This whole story is fague at best and mentions nothing about Roberts dramatic off field events that also was littered with a erratic lifestyle that could have added to his mental unstableness. From court cases against child abusers , assault allegations , murdered prostitute friends and a history of undesirable lovers . Ian Roberts was far from the saint poster boy for gay rugby league players .
His whole lifestyle could’ve added to his inability to remember his lines .
Slowly but surely sucking the fun out of the site. No personality allowed. Delete all posts that are not boring.
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