Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton has said that he would have liked to have followed the lead of former teammate Jamie Heaslip and kept his medical data private in the past.
Heaslip withheld information about his back injury last year and was later forced to retire while Conor Murray, Munster head coach Johann van Graan and Munster Rugby all refused to comment on the Ireland scrum-half’s neck injury this season, however, Murray clarified earlier this week that he did not want to comment on his injury until he was made aware of the full extent of its severity and that his reluctance to share did not stem from issues over data privacy.
Sexton has had his own issues with injury in the past, and specifically concussion, with the Leinster out-half taking 12 weeks out of the game in late 2014 as a precautionary measure following a recommendation from Dr Jean-Francois Cherman.
Sexton said earlier this year that he’s only suffered two or three concussions in his career but added that disputes with insurance companies would be the biggest driver in his desire to keep his information private.
“If I had my time back again I’d do the same,” Sexton said at the launch of MACE’s new advertising and social media campaign.
“I can see why. People take what is said in the media as gospel and often it isn’t the case. My example with the stigma of concussion being attached to me, when I haven’t had a lot of them, and suddenly insurance companies don’t want to insure you for concussion because you’ve had loads when you haven’t.
“I can see why players don’t want their information out there because it can just lead to problems in the future and it’s disappointing because it can be twisted and I think at times it’s better just to say nothing.
“Conor has decided to go down that route. I know Jamie has done it previously. To be honest if I had my time back again I’d do the same.”
Rugby Players Ireland and the IRFU are both behind the players on this issue with the IRFU detailing at a recent briefing with the media that they generally liaise with both the players and the coaching staff during national camp to gauge a level of comfort with what the player wants issued about their injury.
Sexton added that he believes that the level of coverage surrounding his concussions were held against him during insurance negotiations and that he thinks that Murray is being shrewd by withholding his information.
“100%. That’s exactly what happened,” he replied when asked if companies were holding reports against him.
“You can come out and try and clarify things and people will criticise you for trying to clarify and say you’re only looking out for yourself and not the generation that is coming after you. You should be more responsible.
“I was only trying to tell the truth and still got taken. You can’t win and I think that’s why in some ways Conor is right to hold onto his privacy.”
On Wednesday Murray denied that the lack of information provided around his neck injury stemmed from a data protection issue and added that the confusion surrounding his condition grew from a lack of certainty around his own situation.
However, Heaslip took a much stronger stance on this issue earlier this year, and while he conceded that the public may be interested in knowing when a player will play so that they can make more informed decisions, he stressed that professional players need to know their rights when it comes to their data.
“I understand we are in a public forum here. You have got to feed the beast a little bit. I understand that,” Heaslip told reporters earlier this year. “At the same time you have to know where the line is and sometimes players don’t know where the line is.
“Take my example. Chinese whispers came into play post-injury a year ago. All sorts of things were said and some of them blatant lies. And they were said in public forums. I didn’t tell anyone what was wrong with me. That’s why I made a conscious choice. That’s why I stuck to my guns on it. It is up to each individual player. But they’ve got to know what their rights are.”
International Rugby Player CEO Omar Hassanein also RugbyPass that it is important that players are in control and consulted around any use of their playing data and that many of their members are raising queries as to what are the guidelines between player and club.
“We’ve also had live issues in relation to the dissemination of some players personal medical data, to which we stand by the players right to have this protected,” Hassanein said.
“There have been cases in the recent past that have raised the issue of the use of player data. We understand that this is new territory both for clubs and players and are working with all sides on that basis, however it is important that players are in control and consulted around any use of their playing data.”
“With the continued global debate about the use of data, many of our members around the globe are asking questions about the use of their personal data, be it medical or playing data.
“We are liaising with clubs, unions and governing bodies on issues that arise. We believe players are entitled to manage their own private data with the same respect to their confidentiality that any other member of the public would be afforded. Equally, we are of the view that any personal statistical data relating to the player is owned by the player themselves and hence they should also reap any benefits that may arise from the commercialisation of such data.”
MACE, Ireland’s longest serving convenience brand, has teamed up with Ireland rugby star Johnny Sexton in an exciting new partnership. MACE stores are at the heart of the communities they serve and together with new brand ambassador, Johnny Sexton, a new advertising and social media campaign, along with a series of community initiatives, will further strengthen these links.
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