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Rugby players and associates all over the world are currently swallowing a hard pill after the first confirmed diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a fully professional rugby union player was made in New Zealand.

Billy Guyton, who represented the Māori All Blacks, played scrum-half in Super Rugby for the Blues and had stints with the Hurricanes and Crusaders, tragically died at the age of 33 in May last year.

Guyton suffered from multiple concussions throughout his short-lived career, deciding to retire early at the age of 28 (2018) because of the severity of the symptoms he was experiencing.

His death has come as a shock since one expects the length of time in a collision sport to be the most powerful association with CTE. The only known cause of CTE is traumatic brain injury, be it from one catastrophic incident such as a car crash, or through repeated blows to the brain over several years, as in rugby.

Breaking😔

The brain of Blues & NZ Māori halfback Billy Guyton, who died last year aged 33, had stage 2 chronic traumatic encepahlopathy (CTE).

It makes Guyton the first NZ-based pro diagnosed with the condition associated with repetitive brain injuries.https://t.co/kNCEu5Yw0r

— Progressive Rugby (@ProgressiveRug) March 14, 2024

When Guyton died, his brain was donated to the brain bank at the University of Auckland and on Monday, his family received a summary of the results, per The Guardian.

The co-director of the Auckland brain bank, Prof Maurice Curtis, told RNZ: “The diagnosis of a young person with CTE is significant as it indicates how early in life the brain has been affected by head knocks.”

The diagnosis was confirmed by Associate Professor Michael Buckland, founder and director of the Australian Sports Brain Bank, as stage 2 CTE, which sits between mild (stage 1) and severe (stage 4) in the strata of this degenerative disease.

Image: Wikipedia

The overview of the report also outlines the state of the cavum septum pellucidum, a crevice in the brain’s centre linked to traumatic brain injury, and age-related tau deposits. While not indicative of CTE, they are frequently linked, yet unusual in a youthful brain.

“We share the family’s concern at his diagnosis,” said New Zealand Rugby. “Any time the rugby community loses a member, especially someone as young and talented as Billy, it is felt deeply.” NZR is concerned about the possibility that repeated head impacts during participation in rugby may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases in later life.”

CTE can currently be diagnosed only postmortem, although science is moving closer to a diagnostic method for the living. So far, England World Cup winner Steve Thompson, the Wales international Alix Popham and the All-Black Carl Hayman are among the few former professional rugby players who have been diagnosed with suspected CTE.

They’ve aligned with hundreds of other ex-players in taking action against World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union, and the Welsh Rugby Union. Their claim asserts that they weren’t adequately cared for during their playing careers and weren’t informed about what was understood regarding the connection between repeated head injuries and CTE.

“All who care about collision sports have to accept we will witness over the next few decades many more players dying prematurely from their neurodegeneration,” said Richard Boardman of Rylands Garth, who is representing the players in their lawsuit.

“Many more will be found to have, postmortem, CTE. There is an urgent need for these sports to limit the amount of contact players are sustaining over 30-game, 11-month seasons. Playing elite rugby is as dangerous for the brain as ever.”

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that brain damage is a huge part of rugby, which must be taken way more seriously.

[source:guardian]