Nine seconds of silence.
When Ben Youngs asks whether Lewis Moody ever worried about the risks of playing rugby, his former team-mate pauses, weighing a complicated answer.
Moody enjoyed a distinguished career — 71 England caps, a British and Irish Lions tour, and domestic and European honours with a famously physical Leicester side. Nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’ for his all-out approach, he once focused only on effort and collisions rather than long-term consequences.
Now 47, he says it was never quite that simple. He tells the BBC documentary Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby? that he was well aware of the dangers inherent in repeatedly smashing into another human being. He understood the risks of injury and concussion, but judged the rewards and joy of the sport to outweigh them. He says he loved the game and would play again despite knowing the risks.
Last year Moody was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), a progressive condition that destroys motor neurons and leads to muscle wasting. Other high-profile rugby figures have faced the same diagnosis: league legend Rob Burrow died in June 2024, Scotland prop Doddie Weir and former Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen also died after suffering the disease, and Ed Slater retired in July 2022 after tests revealed he had MND.
There is no proven causal link between playing rugby and developing MND, though elite athletes appear disproportionately affected. One hypothesis is that intense exercise can create low-oxygen conditions that stress motor neurons in people already susceptible because of genetic or environmental factors. Moody accepts that the public often connects rugby and MND but cautions against simple conclusions. He says research points to multiple causes and that the clearest sporting connection is with extreme exertion rather than a single, direct cause.
Moody’s own turning point on head injuries came during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the pool game against Tonga he was rocked by a knee while attempting to charge down a kick, then later had his head snapped back when Nili Latu collided with him in a tackle. After being treated on the field he continued to play, and the next day — against medical advice — he joined team-mates at EuroDisney. He remembers his head ringing after a ride and being relegated to looking after luggage, an early wake-up call that he needed to take concussion more seriously.
Unlike MND, repeated blows to the head have a proven link to long-term brain injury. The NFL has agreed a multi-billion-dollar settlement with former players over concussion-related conditions. In rugby, a group of former players is pursuing legal action against the sport’s governing bodies, arguing more could have been done to protect them.
Today’s elite rugby has moved significantly toward stricter concussion management. The game polices head contact more aggressively, tackle height has been lowered, dangerous tackles can now result in sendings-off, and technology such as impact-measuring mouthguards can alert medics to heavy collisions. Independent match-day doctors review incidents on monitors, and enforced stand-down periods after concussion follow medical guidance. Moody, who was cleared of early onset dementia after a study at the University of Edinburgh, believes the sport is safer now than ever.
But he sees the human cost too. Team-mate Steve Thompson, who has early onset dementia and is part of the legal action, remains a powerful reminder of the issue’s reality. Moody, who roomed with Thompson for years, says he has seen him struggle and is grateful for the research and support now available. He hopes the concussion movement has pushed the sport to be more open to uncomfortable conversations and change so problems are not ignored again.
Since going public with his own diagnosis in October, Moody has learned to live with uncertainty. He cites a Buddhist line he heard on a podcast — that yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not yet born, so there is only today — as a way to simplify life with MND. He has met people who have lived with the disease for well over a decade and others for only months. His doctors describe his case as slow-progressing so far. His approach is to live as normally as possible until a new normal is required, then adapt.
Moody intends to use his profile to raise awareness and support for MND, following the example set by Burrow, Weir and Slater. He says he feels handed a baton and has been talking with Ed Slater about messaging and activity. He wants to build on the work already done and make as much impact as he can in the MND space.
For details of organisations offering help and support with MND, see bbc.co.uk/actionline.
