An Irishman Abroad with Jarlath Regan | Guest: Roger Wilson: Episode 303
Concussion was for a long time considered “just part of the game” of American Football. Then a string of tragic cases and the Will Smith movie “Concussion” changed the thinking of the community. Roger Wilson the former Ireland, Ulster and Barbarians player explains to Jarlath how the change is actually slower than you’d think. After his career ended Wilson set up a company aiming to address the root cause of concussions for players – poor tackling technique. Based in the football hotbed of Texas, Roger’s Tackle Smart company works with high-school, college and pros on adjusting their approach to, thinking towards and technique in tackling.
In this revealing conversation Roger speaks for the first time about the challenges he has faced from within the footballing establishment, the progress that’s been made and some truly shocking realities of the American approach to contact in the sport (31:00). Jarlath speaks to Roger about his own experiences of concussion within rugby (17:00), how he prepared for retirement when he knew it could be forced upon him at any moment and the nature of toxic masculinity in sport (47:00). Roger opens up about his friendship with Paddy Jackson, his feelings about the outcome of the case and how the game can change and learn from this dark episode. (Patreon Full Length Version Only).
To learn more about Tackle Smart and Roger Wilson’s work visit http://tacklesmartsports.com today.
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