‘They are going to come after you’: a doctor’s advice on rugby’s battle over brain injuries

A pioneering American doctor, Bennet Omalu, and the former Wales forward Alix Popham, who has suspected dementia, examine the past, present and possible future of contact sport

Alix Popham, 41, played for Newport, Leeds, Llanelli Scarlets and Brive, and won 33 Wales caps between 2003 and 2008. He is one of a group of retired rugby players who have been diagnosed with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head. CTE, which can only be fully diagnosed postmortem, was first observed in boxers in the 1920s, who were labelled “punch drunk”. In 2005 the pathologist Dr Bennet Omalu found the first evidence of it in the brain of a former NFL player, Mike Webster, and in the years since it has been diagnosed in retired athletes from a range of collision sports, including ice hockey, Australian rules football, and now, rugby union.

The Hollywood version of Omalu’s story was told in the Will Smith film Concussion. Omalu is an outspoken campaigner against collision sports and a controversial figure within the community of doctors, scientists, and academics working in this area. Many experts believe that he misrepresents the science of CTE, and the risks involved in collision sports. But he remains an influential advocate. And Popham, who has recently set up a new foundation to advance research into neurodegenerative disease in the UK, was keen to talk to him about his experiences. The Guardian sat in on their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.

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