Dragons star James Graham said he stands behind his comments around concussion

St George Illawarra Dragons hardman James Graham has opened up on his stunning comments around concussion and mental health in the NRL.

James Graham’s comments saw some blow back.

St George Illawarra Dragons forward James Graham has opened up on his comments around concussion yesterday following the revelations from NRL Immortal Andrew Johns.

Johns spoke with his brother Matthew on Fox League’s Sunday Night with Matty Johns on Sunday night, discussion the full extent of his health problems.

Johns is no longer allowed to drive and can no longer surf on his own in case of a medical episode from epilepsy related to concussions throughout his career.

“2016, ’17, ’18, I’d have probably one every two months. But the last two have been really severe,” Johns said of his seizures.

“I had one up in Yamba over Christmas where I actually fell over in a cafe and smashed my head.

“The last one I had in New Zealand. I was over there surfing with my family and my young bloke, we were out in the water for six or seven hours a day.

“I think about it now because the specialist said I can’t surf on my own. I make sure I don’t go out (surfing by myself).”

He also spoke about experiences in the commentary box where he had an attack.

James Graham was worried about his concussions.

Asked about the interview, Graham was fairly matter-of-fact about his stance on concussion in football.

“It’s my life, I’ll do what I want to — well, within certain realms,’’ Graham told reporters.

“What’s the alternative? I kind of like what I’m doing. The consequences of that are sometimes you get hit on the head.

“You’ve got to go and play Oztag if you don’t fancy playing league anymore. But I wouldn’t get paid and I probably wouldn’t have as much fun.”

The star was slammed by NRL360’s Phil Rothfield who called the comments “irresponsible” and from “a bloke who’s had too many head knocks”.

Graham fronted up to Tuesday night’s NRL360 alongside the Wests Tigers’ Benji Marshall and the pair discussed concussion in the NRL.

“I stand by what I said,” Graham said. “I think it’s important to point out that I take concussion and head trauma and the aftermath of those things incredibly seriously. I’ve gone above and beyond what the NRL prescribe.”

Graham said rugby league is a dangerous sport but he thought it was worth the risk.

What sets Graham apart is the medical research he has done.

James Graham wasn’t able to help the Dragons over the line last season.

He said a podcast sparked his interest in looking into his own body.

“I guess what I’ve done, there was a podcast on Joe Rogan with Dr Mark Gordon and he spoke about the chemical imbalance after head trauma so I went and got those chemicals checked out, the hormone levels,” he said.

“Then I spent the morning with Dr Andrew Gardner where he basically performed a physiological test, basically an IQ test and I think those tests went particularly well.

“The question I ask doctors all the time is how can I prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia and what they tell me is watch your substance abuse. For me in particular, it’s alcohol.

“Once the boots are hung up for good, it’s important I watch what I put in my body and don’t abuse my body. Whether or not I have a predisposition to things like dementia, I don’t know but it’s something I really need to look after and be careful of.”

Marshall was impressed by the level of research and admitted he wouldn’t be able to answer the questions Graham had been able to answer.

He also asked when the Dragons enforcer decided to look into the issue.

“There was a build up of concussions throughout my career, but probably the one that was the real catalyst was one against Brisbane in the finals last year,” he said. “It really knocked me about I was worried and having an internal debate about whether I was going to play in the next playoff game against South Sydney.

“But I spoke to some doctor friends of mine and concluded that I wanted to play and pursue that dream of winning a title.”

James Graham was helped from the field against the Broncos in the finals last season.

Graham also revealed his grandmother had suffered dementia towards the end of her life without substance abuse or head knocks from the NRL.

Graham also said the sport wasn’t particularly good for the health of players in many ways.

“If you look into it, it’s really bad for your health if you do shift work,” Graham said. “I’m not meaning to brag but we’re the ultimate shift workers. Three days on the day job, one on the evening shift a week.

“You take this sport away from me and guys like me, what am I left with. I don’t want to explore that life, I don’t want to see this built up aggression, this passion, this purpose, thus focus, the direction that rugby league gives me. You take that away from me, where do I turn to. Where do most people like me turn to, it’s probably crime.”

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As for Marshall, he admitted the NRL had come a long way from the start of his career.

“The testing we do before the season, we all get on the computer and do a baseline test and after you get a concussion, you come back and revisit that test and you have pass your baseline in order to be able to play again,” he said.

“That never used to happen. The concussion rule where if you get a head knock, the doctor takes you off, we never used to have those things. I think we’ve made leaps and bounds within the ground where we can address where we can.”

Originally published as Dragons star James Graham said he stands behind his comments around concussion