For a long time he wondered what was wrong with him. Dafydd James therefore passed examinations and the diagnosis fell. Like many others before him, the former Wales winger (48 caps between 1996 and 2007) suffers from early dementia, which he says could explain his mental health issues. James has joined legal action against rugby’s governing bodies.
“I was wondering what was wrong with me,” the ex-Llanelli and Pontypridd Scarlets player told the BBC, who said he had “mental health issues” since he was a teenager. that he suffered from “panic and anxiety attacks” after he stopped playing and “extreme headaches” as well as itchy skin all over his body. The diagnosis also revealed probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. He also fractured a vertebra in his neck in 2009.
The man who almost came to Aix-en-Provence in D2 at the end of his career got involved in the legal battle between 169 players and the governing bodies concerned. Among them, former All Black pillar Carl Hayman, who passed through Toulon, and Englishman Steve Thompson, both diagnosed with the same symptom at the end of 2021, as well as Ryan Jones and Alix Popham. “It’s quite cathartic to tell people because I’m trying to help other people who are hurting, and there are a lot of people who are hurting,” Dafydd James told the BBC. I would like to get more information and learn more and if this information can be passed on to future generations, it is worth it. »
The International (World Rugby), Welsh (WRU) and English (RFU) Federations said they were “saddened” but could not comment in a legal action. “We care deeply for every member of the rugby family and have been saddened by the courageous personal testimonies of Dafydd and other former players with health issues,” they added. According to the British media, “the claim could total hundreds of millions of pounds due to the long-term care some players may need”.