Former British rugby player Bobbie Goulding who has been diagnosed with early-stage dementia has been shocked since receiving the news and said he never thought about it before. Recalling an incident from his playing days, he said he had no doctor tending him despite being knocked out once and that he stayed in a hospital for one week with no one caring for him. Goulding, Michael Edwards, and Ryan McDonald are among ten former rugby players who are bringing a legal operation against Rugby Football League.
Bobbie Goulding, Former Rugby player
I didn't think about dementia at all, I just thought it was the way life was. I played within days of serious knockouts on at least three occasions. I remember playing on a Sunday for Leigh at Huddersfield towards the end of my career. I was in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary on the Sunday night after being seriously knocked out and played the following Saturday against Batley. I didn't have one doctor check on me during that week.