Looking after retired players

[teds]

One topic that comes up from time to time is preparing players for life after rugby, but listening to Haskell and Hartley talking on the Good, Bad Rugby podcast it seems one of the things clubs could do is offer free or subsidised healthcare for the first couple of years after retirement.

We seem to see more and more players retiring early and more and more ex-players being open about suffering long term debilitation. Flatman tweeted about having to pull over on the motorway because his elbows were hurting too much to drive.

[wormus]

One topic that comes up from time to time is preparing players for life after rugby, but listening to Haskell and Hartley talking on the Good, Bad Rugby podcast it seems one of the things clubs could do is offer free or subsidised healthcare for the first couple of years after retirement.

We seem to see more and more players retiring early and more and more ex-players being open about suffering long term debilitation. Flatman tweeted about having to pull over on the motorway because his elbows were hurting too much to drive.

Flatman really has become a showman and celebrity so why not be like everyone else and use your hands and not your elbows to drive? Or is he giving someone the elbow?

[johnthegriff]

Players have been paid a substantial salary for a number of years, if they retire due to a specific injury then treatment should continue under their club's care. If they retire because time and accumulated wear and tear has caught up with them then that is their own problem. There should be a plan in place and a duty of care on the club to provide dietary and training advice as a player adjusts to non professional sportsman life but I don't think a club has an obligation for general health care for any former player once he has left, particularly in this day and age when he might only have been employed by the club for a season or two.

[tigerburnie]

I think the old benefit season used to fill the gap a bit, that seems to have gone now, possibly because the one club player is becoming rarer as has been said.

[TigerFeetSteve]

I think the old benefit season used to fill the gap a bit, that seems to have gone now, possibly because the one club player is becoming rarer as has been said.

Then again if you're not a one club player, which club should have responsibility for looking after you?