PARIS (Reuters) - Former French international Sebastien Chabal revealed he has been suffering from amnesia in another example of the devastating effects on rugby players of repeated head trauma.
The former lock said he could not remember any of his professional career, including the 62 times he represented his country.
"I have no memory of a single second of a rugby match I played," Chabal, renowned for his formidable presence on the field and his distinctive rugged appearance which earned him the nickname "Caveman", told the YouTube channel Legend.
"I don’t remember a single one of the 62 renditions of La Marseillaise I experienced. I remember nothing."
Chabal added that the amnesia extended beyond his playing years, reaching into his early life.
"I have two or three childhood memories, and even then, I'm not sure I remember them because people told me about them," the 47-year-old said.
More than 1,000 former amateur and professional rugby union and rugby league players have now joined a concussion lawsuit against the sports' governing bodies, the firm representing them said last week.
Rylands Garth said it now represents more than 725 former union players and more than 280 former league players in a case that began more than four years ago.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
