Lipman forced to retire
27 Jun 2012
Rebels flank Michael Lipman has quit rugby with immediate effect due to his ongoing problems with concussion.
Lipman told team-mates of his decision to retire on Tuesday, citing the lingering side effects from a concussion sustained earlier in the season. Lipman revealed that it was not the first time he had taken a heavy knock to the head, and after an estimated 30 concussions, he feared that another blow would put his life at risk.
‘The bottom line is that throughout my career I’ve had so many bangs to the head and I’ve had so much concussion, the last couple have been the icing on the cake,’ Lipman told The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘I’ve just had too many. Enough’s enough and when you’re body’s talking to you like it is now, you’ve got to listen to it and be sensible because the hardest thing in anything really is to admit that your time is up and to come to terms with it.’
Doctors told Lipman to retire in 2009 while he was still playing in England, but he ignored their advice. The headaches and other side effects have now become too much to bear.
‘It [headache] is always there and you can feel the pressure in your head and when you start running and training it makes it a lot worse. You become exhausted straight away and you feel like going to sleep, when it should really be the opposite, because when you start working and training, the endorphins release and you get a pick-up. You shouldn’t get totally down the way I’ve been.’
8 Comments
27 Jun 2012, 07:35 am
Concussed Dragons!!!
27 Jun 2012, 07:40 am
Ja this is a problem facing players these days
The have really started to look harder at this problem in the NFL (USA football)
players with RCS (Repeated Concussion Syndrome) are having mental and heath issues
There is not enough rest and medical attention addressed for concussion
Players should not continue if concussed and then sit out 3 or more weeks, even the rest of the season, depending on the severity of the concussion.
The huge importance of the breakdown superiority and the very aggressive tackling and collisions are resulting in more head clashes and concussions.
Yeah and I know it has happens over the years 70s, 80s and 90s but all us ex players have been concussed so many times we just dont remember
27 Jun 2012, 07:41 am
@coma(coma)-1:
Hmmmm nice Coming from Coma
27 Jun 2012, 07:53 am
There are a a few star players who are in similar position to Lipman
Barnes is one
Reid also
Skalk has had his fair share
Rathbone to
and others
27 Jun 2012, 09:47 am
Sad to hear.
27 Jun 2012, 09:53 am
Lippers been an absolute stalwart at the break-downs… fearless but at least now sensible… Rebels will miss him on the training field…
@CoachPete(CoachPete)-4:
Yep you can add Juan Smith to th top of that list too…
As for Schalk… the guy is not human…
27 Jun 2012, 15:53 pm
Repeated head knocks are a concern. There was a TV show I watched in Oz that looked at the effect on players. One player interviewed was former Blues and All Blacks scrumhalf Steve Devine. That oke used to get knocked out plenty of times, and he’s now paying for it. Constant headaches that won’t go away, trouble with memory etc, not nice. Not sure if you can watch it outside of Oz, but if you go to abc dot net dot au and search for Steve Devine you can watch the entire programme.
27 Jun 2012, 18:53 pm
We’re going to see this more and more often. Concussions are serious business. Similar issues are facing the NHL and NFL here in North America.
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