Regarding claimed concussion injuries, three former rugby players—including two Ireland internationals—have filed lawsuits against the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
Along with Ben Marshall, 32, a lock for Irish provincial teams Leinster and Connacht, former Test players David Corkery, 49, and Declan Fitzpatrick, 39, are participating in the action.
The Irish Independent reported that on Wednesday, the footballers filed a lawsuit in Dublin’s High Court.
Maguire McClafferty, a legal company that said last year that it was putting together a number of rugby concussion claims, is representing all three of them.
Corkery, a former wing, earned 27 caps for Ireland, while prop Fitzpatrick played in seven Test matches.
The cases target World Rugby, the international regulatory body, the IRFU, and several provincial Irish rugby clubs.
It would be “inappropriate,” according to the IRFU, to explicitly comment on these incidents.
The personal testimonies of former players, as published in the media, “have touched people in rugby,” it stated.
“The IRFU places a high priority on player welfare, and we regularly examine safety procedures for all players.”
Concern about the possible connection between rugby and long-term brain damage is emerging among rugby players.
The legal dispute in Ireland is the result of a previous decision by a group of former rugby players to file a lawsuit against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union of England, and the Welsh Rugby Union for allegedly failing to safeguard them from long-term harm.
Former Wales captain Ryan Jones and 2003 World Cup champion Steve Thompson of England are among the applicants.
The majority of those people in that category have been identified as having early-onset dementia and other irreversible neurological conditions.