The Drake Foundation

We were so humbled to see this post from @Tommo33. We admire his bravery and what he’s done to alert the game we all love to the risks which haven’t been properly addressed yet.

Of course elite rugby needs to do more on safety. They dwell on concussions so they can say without proper scientific evidence “he / she has recovered now”. It’s actually more about CUMULATIVE impacts.

@thedrakefdn found 23% of elite rugby players tested had white matter damage. New research links WM damage to cognitive and motor impairment. Thresholds and dose response remain unproven. Systematic Review 2025 | Brett et al | BMJ Brain Health Clinic pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12…

Ben Youngs asks if elite rugby is safe. The main issue is cumulative impact. The Drake Foundation found 23% tested showed brain damage, with many players now suffering in their 40s. Players must act to drive change.

@benyoungs09 on BBC Sport tonight: bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-un… @thedrakefdn study here: academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

At the 10th anniversary of @thedrakefdn elite rugby players know (from our 2021 study) at least 23% of them are liable to white matter damage by age 25. So they must now share some responsibility for demanding rule changes.

Please find the link to read more here: academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

As an amateur artist, doing portraits gives me joy. Never more than this one of ‘friend of humanity’ @LewisMoody7, now displayed on his mother’s wall. We are there for you Lewis, now and always. xxx

I am devastated to learn that Lewis Moody, one of the finest people you’ll ever meet, Ambassador of @thedrakefdn, has been diagnosed with MND - the muscle-wasting condition that took fellow rugby players Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow. bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-un…

New study shows repetitive head impact (RHI) -driven cellular changes occur prior to CTE development & in young brains. A 2021 @thedrakefdn study showed 23% of 44 elite rugby players had white matter damage. When will rugby authorities wake up & reduce impacts?

New Nature paper: nature.com/articles/s4158…… 2021 Drake Foundation study: academic.oup.com/braincomms/art……

We know that cerebral blood flow reductions and vascular dysfunction can be key early features in neurodegenerative diseases. So the 2021 finding of either axonal injury or diffuse vascular injury in the brains of 10/44 elite rugby players needs further investigation. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30250261/?dopt… academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

Today’s elite rugby union players are at least aware of the risks to long-term brain health. It was far less clear after the game went professional (1995) but it doesn’t diminish the responsibility of those who run the game. academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…

1 in 8 women were victims of domestic crime, sexual abuse or stalking in the last year. Separately the Drake IPV Study showed ongoing mental health disorders remained elevated even 27 years after abuse stopped. itv.com/news/2025-07-2… mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e…

Now that all this MRI data is being generated for the population as a whole, it is vital that contact sport starts to collect baseline MRI data for players who request it. news.sky.com/story/worlds-b…

📢 New in BMJ Mental Health: This article presents a study investigating the long-term mental health outcomes associated with intimate partner violence & traumatic brain injury in midlife individuals. To access the full article, please use the link below: mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e… #MentalHealthResearch #IntimatePartnerViolence #TraumaticBrainInjury #Midlife @WillStewNeuro @NatalieDJenkin1 @AD_PREVENT @UofGlasgow @UofGMVLS

Here is the first publication from the Drake IPV Study published online in BMJ Mental Health: Article: mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e…

Prof. William Stewart, coauthor of The Drake IPV Study, discusses the long-term implications of intimate partner violence for brain health. The study of 632 adults showed ongoing mental health disorders remained elevated even 27 years after abuse stopped. @WillStewNeuro jamesdrake.com/drakes-studies/

The Drake IPV Study (drakefoundation.org/the-drake-ipv-…) found that women who experienced physical abuse in the context of domestic violence are more likely to suffer from long-term mental health challenges, even decades after the abuse has ended. Find the link here: independent.co.uk/news/health/b2…