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The leader of a group of scientists who have a major influence on the treatment of brain injuries in sport has resigned for plagiarism. This is the Australian neurologist Paul McCrory, considered worldwide as the most influential researcher in the field of brain injury in sport.
McCrory led the so-called “Concussion in the Sports Group” (CISG). It is about thirty scientists (of variable composition) who draw up guidelines for the management of brain injuries in sport. Virtually all of the world’s sports federations – in soccer, American football, rugby, ice hockey and other sports – base the way team doctors treat brain injuries on guidelines from this group.
McCrory’s resignation could have major implications for the vision of brain damage in various sports. The Australian is known for his conservative view of the danger of brain damage from professional sports. At a 2016 conference, he downplayed several scientific reports and news articles showing that many American football players in the United States have developed serious brain disease throughout their careers. How talked about “all the hassle and whoo-hafrom the United States that would lead the general public to believe that the sport can be dangerous.
Ignore scientific evidence
Search by NRC, as of late 2020, it subsequently emerged that McCrory and his group Concussion in Sports systematically ignore much of the scientific evidence that sports pose a risk to the brain. Moreover, several scientists have said NRC that they were opposed in their investigation by members of the CISG.
Read also : an NRC research paper on sports associations looking away from brain damagefeaturing neurologist Paul McCrory and the group Concussion in Sports
One saw a large-scale study of the brains of Australian rugby players fail after McCrory – who had nothing to do with the study – criticized it. According to several scientists, CISG members have prevented more information about the risk of brain injury for athletes.
In recent years, however, it has become increasingly clear that athletes can seriously suffer in their careers. CTE brain disease has been discovered in the brains of over six hundred former NFL (American football) players. It is caused by blows to the head and can lead to psychological problems and even severe dementia. Last weekend it was announced that the disease had also been discovered in the brain of deceased Dutch footballer Wout Holverda. This was the first time that CTE had been discovered in a Dutch athlete. His doctors were able to rule out a cause other than his sports career. Chances are the headers caused the damage. In Australia, CTE has been found in several former rugby players – three of whom were under 35.
The Concussion in Sports Group’s impartiality was also questioned by a UK parliamentary committee last year. He has conducted research on the treatment of brain injuries in various sports. The committee found that the CISG had a lot of power, including through funding from the International Olympic Committee, world football association FIFA and World Rugby.
It has become clear in recent years that athletes can become seriously ill during their careers
UK parliamentarians have expressed “concerns” over the use of CISG protocols by sports associations. They would be too conservative and prevent “sporting rules from changing to improve safety”.
Neurologist Paul McCrory’s case arose when he was accused of plagiarizing scientific work by a colleague. In 2005, he allegedly copied more than half of an article in the influential British Journal of Sports Medicine by another scientist. McCrory himself was working for that magazine at the time. The article has since been taken down due to “unlawful and indefensible copyright infringement”. According to the English newspaper The Guardian McCrory reportedly told colleagues of a “terrible mistake” when he resigned. Other McCrory publications – including those on brain injury – are currently under review.
A version of this article also appeared in NRC Handelsblad on March 9, 2022
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