Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Rugby

Johnny Sexton: Concussion stigma has led to insurance problems

Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton has come out in support of Conor Murray's decision to keep his med...



Johnny Sexton: Concussion stig...
Rugby

Johnny Sexton: Concussion stigma has led to insurance problems

Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton has come out in support of Conor Murray's decision to keep his medical information private after suffering complications with insurance coverage for concussion.

Speaking about the Munster scrum-half's silence on his injury, Sexton said: "If I had my time back again, I'd do the same and I can see why, because people take what is said in the media as gospel and often it isn't the case," he told Off the Ball's Darren Cleary at Sexton's unveiling as a MACE ambassador at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday. 

"If you take my example, with the stigma of concussion being attached to me, when I probably haven't had a lot of them and suddenly insurance companies don't want to insure you for concussion because you've had loads - but you haven't.

"So, I can see why players don't want their information out there because it can just lead to problems in the future. 

"And, it can be disappointing because things can be twisted and I think at times - it's better to say nothing and Conor has decided to go down that route. I know Jamie (Heaslip) has done it previously and to be honest, if I had my time back again, I might have done the same," he added. 

"You can come out and try and clarify things and people will criticise you for trying to clarify and say you're only looking after yourself and you're not looking after the generation that is coming after you and you should be more responsible.

“I was only trying to tell the truth and still got taken. Look, you can't win and that's why I think, in some ways, Conor's right to hold on to his privacy because again, it could be something small that they're trying to look after him with and if he releases it - it will be blown out of proportion. So, it's probably a clever move by him."

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Rugby