Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:37 am  

Now he has come out and said his retirement was due to a concussion-related illness, this could be the start of a very long and dangerous road for the RFL as far as litigation is concerned, come to think of it, the RFU would probably be brought into it too.

It's not as though the players sign any form of contract ahead of time, absolving the code(s) from any damages caused by the sport....or do they?!

Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:39 am  

Bobby_Peru wrote:

It's not as though the players sign any form of contract ahead of time, absolving the code(s) from any damages caused by the sport....or do they?!

There are potentially lots of legal questions - have players signed a waiver of any claim (and from memory I think you can't exclude liability for personal injury anyway?), to what extent have players impliedly given consent to a certain amount of physical contact and risk by taking the field, is there a duty of care which a club/governing body has to players to manage that risk and protect players, and if so what is the extent of that duty? I suspect a lot of these questions will surface over the next few years, it could be a minefield.

Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:44 am  

Yeah, I would love to find out from anyone who knows what is stipulated in a players contract as regards personal injury brought on by events on the field of play?!

Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:46 am  

Interesting article on the Saints forum - scary stuff http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article ... d=11264856

Interesting article on the Saints forum - scary stuff http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article ... d=11264856

Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:06 pm  

Players are just pieces of meat. When the meat gets too old and past its use-by date, the club just buys some more. You get meat that's bruised or damaged, the club goes and buys some more.

Sadly this has been the case for a long, long, time. Although it relates to most sports not just rugby.

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Lance Hohaia : Thu Apr 30, 2015 12:26 pm  

Bobby_Peru wrote: Sadly this has been the case for a long, long, time. Although it relates to most sports not just rugby. Yup, i know we've got a couple of UFC followers on here, i dont know if they are familiar with the case of TJ Grant, the former lightwight no1 contender, was supposed to fight for the title around the end of 2013 but copped a concussion in training, and he's STILL recovering from it now. I dont know if he's resumed training at all but he hasn't fought in the octagon since. http://mmajunkie.com/2014/10/ufc-lightw ... gon-return

Bobby_Peru wrote: Sadly this has been the case for a long, long, time. Although it relates to most sports not just rugby. Yup, i know we've got a couple of UFC followers on here, i dont know if they are familiar with the case of TJ Grant, the former lightwight no1 contender, was supposed to fight for the title around the end of 2013 but copped a concussion in training, and he's STILL recovering from it now. I dont know if he's resumed training at all but he hasn't fought in the octagon since. http://mmajunkie.com/2014/10/ufc-lightw ... gon-return

Re: Lance Hohaia : Fri May 01, 2015 8:42 am  

Injuries ending players careers are normally covered by some form of sports insurance policy. Payouts would depend on the players age when "retiring" and the nature of the injury, taking into account their potential to continue earning income.

As regards the obligations of the clubs..............it sounds daft but normal H&S rules apply. They have to do everything possible to minimise the risk to the lowest possible level. (ie:- dont play a player if they are not fit enough and ensure they get the quickest and best treatments). As part of the State Of Mind initiative clubs are now heavily concentrating on making sure players have a backup for when their careers have ended.

[Winslade's Offload]

Re: Lance Hohaia : Fri May 01, 2015 9:09 am  

If a player suffers damage to the brain which only shows up in later life, is that also covered by the insurance ?

Re: Lance Hohaia : Fri May 01, 2015 5:46 pm  

Winslade's Offload wrote:

If a player suffers damage to the brain which only shows up in later life, is that also covered by the insurance ?

Yes....... it would just be a lot harder to prove the link.

Re: Lance Hohaia : Sat May 02, 2015 7:38 am  

Winslade's Offload wrote:

If a player suffers damage to the brain which only shows up in later life, is that also covered by the insurance ?

Good call, he has a very good case of a ins payout as his head prone was nation news!
He has his head screwed on pun intended.