The NRL has teamed up with Harvard to launch a new research program into the increasing impact of head injuries in collision sport.
The governing body announced on Tuesday it will provide an initial grant of $250,000 for the Retired Professional Rugby League Players Brain Healthy Study.
The funding is expected to significantly increase the sample size for researchers and comes after 18 months of collaboration with the University of Newcastle.
NRL boss Todd Greenberg heralded the decision that will tip the game’s investment into the area of concussion past $1 million next season.
“This research will give experts better insight than ever before into head injuries,” Greenberg said.
“And it’ll allow us as a game to transform that research into real world practices and policies. I expect that this research will continue for decades.
“We’re committed to playing the long game here.
“What happens on the field is only part of the puzzle.
“We’ll continue to evolve our on-field practices and off-field research to make our game as safe as possible.”
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Principle researcher Andrew Gardner will lead the program with professor Grant Iverson from the Spaulding Research Institute at Harvard Medical School.
“Professor Grant Iverson is a world expert in this area and he has been my personal mentor and is a co-chief investigator in this research,” Gardner said.
“All of the statistical analysis and interpretation, every aspect of this study and the multiple studies that will transpire from all of the various aspects of the research program that we’re running, (Harvard are) heavily involved in all of those aspects.
“So we’re collecting the data and working with them to analyse that data.”
The study comes six months after researchers for the first time found evidence of a degenerative brain conditions in two former rugby league players.
The concerning revelation prompted a number of ex-players to commit to donating their brain to science, including Parramatta legend Peter Sterling.
It was also widely reported that three legal firms had planned to launch class actions against the NRL over its handling of concussions following the discovery.
And two months ago, the legal team of former Newcastle winger James McManus bolstered their landmark concussion lawsuit against the NRL club after they subpoenaed video evidence in NSW Supreme Court.
Gardner, believed to have been the NRL doctor at the time, is also expected to be subpoenaed in court.
When asked if he was aware of any current lawsuits against the NRL, Greenberg said: “No.”
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Pitty there is not a very angry button here ....What is ridiculous Mushi ??? people have accidentally tripped over and killed themselves it is a fact of life. My comment was that you can accidentally trip over and in one blow do as much damage as playing 6 seasons of rugby league. Now I am quite happy to direct you to a very prominent neuro surgeon who can explain it even in terms that you may even be able to understand and then you can tell him that it is ridiculous..
mushi
Roar Guru
The "you can accidentally " is ridiculous. Sure, so why not let 4 year olds play Russian roulette
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
the fact remains that if you play collision sport or sport where there is potential for head impact you run the risk of concussion. Having had a very serious concussion at around 17 years of age playing footy I know what it is like when your head hits the unyielding dirt with sudden and severe impact. I was seriously crook for some 6 weeks. The question is how many times can you let it happen before it does irreparable brain damage? The problem is that it is not an equal equation for each individual and cranium thickness nor the wearing of helmets actually prevents your brain bouncing around inside your cranium and the meninges tissues do little to lessen the impact. The issue is no different in the martial arts and army hand to hand combat training so do we ban everything including the army because of it. you can study it until the cows come home but you cannot prevent it from happening as you can accidentally trip over hit your head and in one split second impact do as much damage as playing 6 seasons of Rugby League. The only thing we can do is look at ways of trying to lessen the obvious long term effects of continuous concussions.