Sports Law Experts Call For Increased Understanding Of Head Injury And Concussion Dangers

England rugby star Mike Brown has admitted he was paranoid that his international teammates and coaches thought he was faking the symptoms of concussion as he recovered from the latest in a series of head injuries.

He was knocked unconscious in England’s Six Nations game against Italy in February. He returned to the competition for later games against Scotland and France but was forced to rest after continuing to struggle with repeated headaches.

Brown has now made a full recovery but said he became paranoid that his England teammates and coaches might be thinking he was faking the symptoms he suffered with.

He said: "When I came in and saw the lads training hard and looking over at me, I was thinking, 'They think I'm faking it. They think I'm saving myself for the World Cup'. You start feeling paranoid.

"You have days when you worry and days when you sort of snap out of it. It's hard when it's not an injury where you have a start and an end - it's just open-ended - and you just have to wait.”

Brown admitted that it was difficult to take time out of the game to recover and that he constantly wanted to play but that the headaches were his body trying to tell him to rest and recover.

Stephen Nye, an expert sports injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said:

Expert Opinion

It is concerning to hear professionals discuss the pressure they feel to get on with things and get back playing as soon as possible following a head injury. <br/> <br/>“Mike Brown’s experience highlights the ongoing problems with concussion and that there is still a lot more to be done to raise awareness of the danger of head injuries in professional sports and the long-term impact ignoring these injuries can have. <br/> <br/>“Thankfully, in this case, he has taken some time out of the game to allow his body to fully recover and it is vital medical experts are able to implement these rest periods for those who have suffered head injuries. Stephen Nye - Partner