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In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was there, in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart of the scrum - one of sport's most destructive, repetitive impacts. Despite the constant reminders of what has been lost, and what is still to lose, Steve's powerful story is one of hope and courage. Unforgettable stands as testament to the ultimate strength of the human mind - and to a man no longer pushing himself to the limit for competition, but for his own place in the world.
As he says in the film "this degenerative disease is caused by multiple head impacts, known as sub-concussions". We've just got to be proud of these little victories to make the game of rugby a lot safer and for everyone to keep enjoying it. We had a scrummage session where the scrum machine was pegged it into the ground, so it wouldn't move," he says. Unforgettable stands as testament to the ultimate strength of the human mind - and to a man no longer pushing himself to the limit for competition, but for his own place in the world. Thompson is among more than 185 players suing rugby union's governing bodies for negligence, claiming that playing the sport caused brain damage.
Before speaking out in 2020, Thompson was diagnosed by neurologists at King's College, London, with early-onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy - the term used to describe brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head trauma. If you are affected by any issues relating to this story then please go to BBC Action line for information and support. In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart of the scrum - one of sport's most violent battlegrounds. But triumph came at a cost.
The release of the documentary comes after new research was published from a study examining a link between sport and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, motor neurone disease (MND) and dementia.
We've got young kids," says his wife Steph. "It's sad thinking you might not know them when they're teenagers." As you come off, you pass out. They'd give me a few seconds to come around and then do it again. You'd have burst blood vessels all around your eyes where you've been pushing so hard." 'You don't feel like you deserve to be on this earth' When I came out and told people, how many people wanted to employ me? To them, I'm broken," he says.
Unforgettable is part sports memoir - with stories contributed by his world-cup winning teammates and his former manager, Sir Clive Woodward - and part raw human storytelling. In it, Steve will make memories for himself and for his children, and will relive the biggest battle of his life, with his toughest opponent - his own mind. Despite the constant reminders of what has been lost, and what is still to lose, Steve's powerful story is one of hope and courage.
I sometimes find myself thinking the least selfish thing to do is just to kill myself. That's what this can do to me," Thompson told the Mail. external-link Blink Publishing, part of Bonnier Books, has bought world rights in a “moving and brave” memoir from rugby player Steve Thompson, who has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia as a result of collisions, concussions and injuries from playing the sport. In 2003, England won the Rugby World Cup. Steve Thompson was there, in England's front row, at the heart of the match, and at the heart of the scrum - one of sport's most destructive, repetitive impacts. But the triumphs came at a cost.
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