Legendary France loose forward Sebastien Chabal has revealed that he is suffering from significant memory loss after his retirement from the game, possibly due to concussions.
Earlier this week, the YouTube channel Legend – which is hosted by French media personality Guillaume Pley – published an interview with Chabal where he made the stunning revelations about his mental health.
“I have no memory of a single second of a rugby match I played,” he told Pley. “And I don’t remember a single one of the 62 Marseillaises [the French anthem] I experienced.
‘I don’t have this memory of past moments’
“I have a few childhood memories. I think it’s because people told me about them. I don’t have this memory of past moments.
“When I talk about it at home with my wife, I tell her that I have the impression that it wasn’t me who played rugby. And since I always thought I was a bit of an imposter, since I got there a bit by chance.
“With the fact of not remembering, I have the impression that it wasn’t me.”
Chabal, who had stints at club level with Top 14 outfits Lyon and Racing 92 as well as in the Premiership with Sale Sharks, did not use the word “concussion” during the interview and revealed that he has not consulted a neurologist.
“Go see a doctor, for what? The memory will not return,” he said.
He also said he has no recollection of the birth of his daughter.
The 47-year-old made 62 Test appearances for Les Bleus between 2000 and 2011 and was reportedly the highest-paid rugby player in the world while at Racing 92 in 2010.
Not the first ex-player to raise the issue of head trauma
Chabal is the latest former professional player who has brought the issue of head trauma in rugby to the fore.
In December 2023, it was revealed that 295 former players are suing World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union for allegedly failing to put in place reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of players.
Included in that group are England’s 2003 World Cup-winners Steve Thompson and Phil Vickery as well as former Wales star Gavin Henson.
The players are suing for negligence, alleging that the aforementioned governing bodies failed to protect them from the risks of repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows, leading to neurological conditions such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), early-onset dementia and other impairments.
That case is still in its pre-trial phase.
World Rugby have expressed sympathy for the players but are adamant that any legal action would limit their ability to offer direct support.
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/i-have-no-memory-of-a-single-second-of-a-rugby-match-sebastien-chabals-stunning-mental-health-revelation
