What’s the Buzz: Neuroscientist kept receipts of Phil Gould’s concussion rant

He once called the NRL’s independent doctor the ‘great abomination’ of rugby league. Two years on and a leading neuroscientist has kept receipts of Gould’s concussion rants.

One of Australia’s leading concussion experts has attacked Canterbury Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould for his ‘irresponsible’ remarks on Channel 9 around brain injuries.

Neurophysiologist Alan Pearce fired a shot at Gould in a social media post on Friday – two years to the day that Gus went on a rant on 100% Footy.

In April 2023, Gus said: “I’ve got some big announcements coming up in the next couple of weeks about a study to be done on concussion exclusively for rugby league which is going to change a lot of minds.”

So Pearce posted the video with the line: “How’s that big announcement going?”

On Friday I phoned Pearce about him having a crack at Gus on Instagram, which is unusual for such a senior medico.

“Gus said on the clip, ‘I will be proven right’. But that’s not how science works,” Pearce said.

“You need scientific evidence. It could be seen as irresponsible. That this (research) is all rubbish.

Wendy Smith, mother of footballer Antonio Lo Iacono who died after being hit on the head during a footy game, with neuroscientist, Professor Alan Pearce,(L), and former Hawthorn AFL great, John Platten. Picture: Dean Martin

“What we’re seeing from emerging evidence is that we’ve got players with long-term concerns and players who are retiring prematurely from brain injuries.

“To say this is a media or sensationalist beat-up is irresponsible particularly when we have players outside of NRL who no-one ever hears of who are struggling with brain injuries.”

Gus has been a long-time critic of the game’s concussion protocols.

In 2023, he labelled 19 players taken off the field for 15-minute head injury assessments across eight games in round one as ‘concussion hysteria’.

“I think the doctor in the bunker is the great abomination perpetrated on our game in history,” Gould said.

“They keep throwing up the same rubbish.”