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'My decisions were my decisions, I was a lunatic on a rugby pitch' - Lewis Moody won't sue
By AAP
Former England flanker Lewis Moody has sympathy for his ex-teammate Steve Thompson, who is holding the sport's governing bodies responsible for concussion-related impairments, but will not consider litigation without proof of medical negligence.
World Cup-winning hooker Thompson said this week that he had no memory of the 2003 final against Australia and, along with other former players, is looking to hold authorities accountable for failures to protect players from long-term mental issues.
Moody said the lawsuit demonstrated that further change was needed but that he would feel "uncomfortable going after people" such as medics who worked to the best of their knowledge.
"My decisions were my decisions, I was a lunatic on a rugby pitch. I did put myself in harm's way for the benefit of my team because that was the way I enjoyed playing the game. That was the only way I could be," Moody told The Times .
"I always felt supported by the medical team because I felt we were operating with the knowledge and information we knew, it was just different. I would never be out for suing individuals."
Former Wales flanker and captain Sam Warburton echoed Moody's sentiments, saying a lack of knowledge of the symptoms during his playing days was to blame.
"Like a lot of players, I did not know that you could be concussed without being knocked unconscious," Warburton wrote in his column.
"In fact, that is how most concussions come about. But as players we just did not know that back then.
"We still do not know everything and we may have to wait for the brains of some of the first professional players to be analysed when they pass away for that. But we know a lot more."
Moody played 71 times for England between 2001 and 2011.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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Latest Comments
Steve Borthwick appointment was misguided based on two flawed premises.
1. An overblown sense of the quality of the premiership rugby. The gap between the Premiership and Test rugby is enormous
2. England needed an English coach who understood English Rugby and it's traditional strengths.
SB won the premiership and was an England forward and did a great job with the Japanese forwards but neither of those qualify you as a tier 1 test manager.
Maybe Felix Jones and Aled Walter's departures are down to the fact that SB is a details man, which work at club level but at test level you need the manager to manage and let the coaches get on and do what they are employed for.
SB criticism of players is straight out of Eddie Jones playbook but his loyalty to keeping out of form players borne out of his perceived sense of betrayal as a player.
In all it doesn't stack up as the qualities needed to be a modern Test coach /Manager
Go to commentsBut still Australians. Only Australia can help itself seems to be the key message.
Blaming Kiwis is deflecting from the actual problem.
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