Hobson’s ‘life fell apart’ before dementia diagnosis

Former Bristol prop Jason Hobson said his life “literally started falling apart” before he was diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).

The 41-year-old retired from rugby in 2014 before undergoing cognitive tests and brain scans years later that showed damage.

Hobson is among the lawsuit brought by hundreds of former players against rugby’s governing bodies for negligence, and failing to protect them from injury, claiming that the sport caused them brain damage.

“My life literally started falling apart, everyone thought it was just post-rugby but I was four, five years retired so for it to come out then seemed a bit strange,” Hobson told BBC Radio Bristol.

“I went off the rails in certain ways.”

Hobson made more than 100 appearances for Bristol across two spells during his career.

The front-rower began his career with Exeter and also spent two years with Wasps. He received his only international cap with England in 2008.

Hobson initially was not aware of the lawsuit until he spoke to a solicitor and went and had tests in 2021.

Hobson said “a lot of the damage was all done” by the time he received his diagnosis, following his separation from his former partner.

“To get diagnosed after was a bit of a relief because you kind of know it wasn’t just you being an idiot, there was an actual reason to it,” Hobson said.

“And then you can work towards a common goal, to keep your health and wellbeing.”

He added: “I’m not going to live in the past. [I will] keep moving forward and live it as far as I can with my boys.”

Hobson believes his era in rugby was “quite brutal” and says that training was relentless.

Three years ago, when Hobson confirmed he was joining the lawsuit, he said a notebook “would not be thick enough to list all the injuries I had”.

He said he feels rugby is becoming safer today, although there is still work to be done.

“I think they are working towards it but that’s why I’m banging that drum,” Hobson said.

“To try to make parents and schools and teachers and coaches and those age groups – and senior players – to look after their children and players and be an advocate for the unfortunate consequences of having too many brain collisions.”

BBC Sport has contacted the Rugby Football Union for comment.

World Rugby, the RFU and Welsh Rugby Union previously said in a joint statement that “player welfare is rugby’s top priority and will continue to be so”.

The governing bodies added rugby is committed to “leading the welfare agenda” in sport and is driven by “evolving science and research to protect and support players at all levels”.