Francis Maloney planning to sue Rugby Football League after dementia diagnosis

Former rugby league player Francis Maloney has revealed he thought about taking his own life after being diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

The 48-year-old says he will sue the Rugby Football League (RFL) for negligence over the damage caused by concussions after being diagnosed with the disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) earlier this year. 

CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma such as athletes.

The former England International and Oldham Bears player said: "I’ve always been this little hard case who could fight but this is the first time in my life I have felt vulnerable.

"I told my mum I have dementia and her response was ‘you’re hard as nails, you’ but I said, ‘no Mum, I’m not’ and then she started crying too.

"It feels like I’m dwindling away now, and I recently thought about killing myself."

Maloney and the other former rugby league players believe they should have been made aware of the significant risks caused by concussions and sub-concussions.  

It is said that the RFL owed them a duty to take care of their players by implementing rules such as assessments, diagnosis, and treatment of any type of concussion.

Other ex professionals such as Bobbie Goulding and Mickii Edwards are just two others of the 75 players taking legal action.

Their lawyer, Richard Boardman, is representing the 30- 50-year-olds, who are all showing symptoms of neurological complications, such as CTE, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

He says there is a "ticking timebomb" of many more rugby players having the same issues in the future.