Peter FitzSimons reignites James Graham feud over concussions
In the never-ending drama between the two high-profile figures, a colleague of Peter FitzSimons has now entered the fray.
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Yet another unfortunate fire has been lit beneath the critical issue of concussions in sports, with more fuel poured on the spat between Peter FitzSimons and James Graham and even a colleague of the SMH columnist now joining in.
As sports fans all now know, repeated head knocks in contact sports are an enormous global issue, leading in some cases to the debilitating brain disorder CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
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A number of high-profile figures, including ex-Wallaby FitzSimons and NRL great Graham, have tried to bring attention to the issue.
Yet, sadly, it has also led to a long-term and highly personal mudslinging match between the two dating back at least five years.
For those that haven’t been following, FitzSimons once said of the former England captain “it’s not about you” when discussing concussions, with Graham recently labelling the newspaper columnist “a parasite”.
They are just a very small sample size of the insults and arguments that have bubbled along between the two.
FitzSimons has regularly implored victims of repeated head knocks, including Roosters trio James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner and Luke Keary, to retire from the NRL.
Graham took particular exception with an SMH column on Tedesco, passionately stating the impact FitzSimons’ words could have on the star Rooster’s family and leading to the “parasite” comment.
The former Bulldog and Dragon was commenting on his James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast last month and it’s taken until now for FitzSimons to return serve.
In his latest column on head knocks, FitzSimons spoke to American neuroscientist Dr Chris Nowinski, who has been heavily involved in the CTE scourge in the NFL.
They discussed the prospect of kick-offs being changed in the NRL, as they have been recently in gridiron, to reduce high-impact head knocks.
Dragon Moses Suli was knocked out and ruled out of the Anzac Day clash with the Roosters on the first play, leading to the debate over a rule change, which has so far been knocked back – excuse the pun – by league officials.
FitzSimons was unable to resist bringing Graham back into his column, published in the SMH on Thursday.
“The NFL will still be NFL after its latest rule change to diminish the damage done by kick-offs,” he wrote.
“When the NRL changes this – as it must – it will still be rugby league.
“This is despite the likes of James Graham – who once said ‘if you don’t like how tough it is, go and play Oztag’, arguing on NRL 360 ‘if you want the game to be (completely) safe, you’re playing the wrong game. You’re watching the wrong game. You cannot’.
“Thanks, James. We get that football can never be completely safe. But how obvious is it that it has to be made safe-er?
“You are on the record as noting that your own brain is ‘losing volume’. You said on your podcast: ‘While the neuropsychological tests I passed quite well … it has been confirmed via an MRI scan that part of my 36-year-old brain is damaged, that is ‘down on volume’ at the front and side part of my brain.’
“James, it was very courageous of you to share your medical situation, and I for one say bravo. But what is the point of going public if we don’t learn and try to protect the next guy?
“James, you and I – and I hope I’m OK, but don’t know – cannot go back in time to undo whatever we have done to our brains. But we can do our best to save those playing today, even if they don’t get that they need to be saved?
“If we don’t make changes, 40 years from now we’ll have to listen to the next Immortal saying ‘if only we had known’.
“We know, now, and need to say so.”
Interestingly, one of FitzSimons’ own colleagues has now returned serve in the ongoing debate.
Veteran NRL columnist Andrew Webster took aim directly at FitzSimons on Friday in an SMH column titled “Peter FitzSimons is hurting the concussion cause, not helping it”.
While Webster begins his column pointing out “there is nothing quite as boring as columnists trading barbs”, he goes on to call a FitzSimons column “condescending” and that he “continually belittles” players.
He added FitzSimons’ “constant take-downs of James Graham … have become tedious”.
I think we can all agree on that one.
Webster writes passionately about his knowledge of concussion issues in footy players he has become close to and even his late grandfather, who died of dementia.
Noting FitzSimons had ridiculed his previous column on head knocks, Webster wrote: “As his long-time colleague, it hurt but didn’t surprise.
“He does these things to most people who offer a contrary or slightly different position to him on concussion.”
Yikes.
Now I guess all we can do is wait for FitzSimons’ riposte to Webster, or Graham’s return of serve to FitzSimons, in a spat that will seemingly never end and appears to be doing little to advance the critical issue at hand.
Originally published as Peter FitzSimons reignites James Graham feud over concussions
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