A rugby legend. A dementia diagnosis. And the game that failed him - The Sunday Story
5/3/202638 min
At his peak, Carl Hayman was widely regarded as the world's best tighthead prop. Then, in 2021, at just 41, he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable CTE, a disease he believes was caused by the sport he loves, and one that has torn his life apart. In this intimate and devastating interview with David Walsh, Carl describes what happened, what he’s doing for the players who come after him, and what concussion means for rugby’s future.
The final part of a two-part special investigation into the crisis facing this global game. You can listen to part one here.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory
Guest: Carl Hayman
Host: David Walsh, chief sports writer, The Sunday Times
Producer: Sophie McNulty
We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com
Read more: Two best friends, two suicides. How did rugby let this happen?
Further listening: Can rugby survive its head injury problem?
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[gentle music] At PwC, we don't just deliver ideas, we make them work. With the expertise in tech you need to out-think and out-perform, and we work with you, alongside you, from start to finish so you can stay ahead, so you can protect what you built, so you can create new value. We build for what's next so you can get there now. PwC, so you can. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.
David Walsh· Host0:30
We asked you here because we care. And your car insurance doesn't. They've raised your rate every year, and you haven't even checked. I thought that was normal.
Speaker 20:42
A lot of people do. That's why there's Jerry. Jerry pulls up to 20 quotes from top insurers in minutes, shows them side by side, and lets you switch in the app. No jumping sites, no re-entering info, no spam calls. It helps you cancel your old policy and keeps checking for better rates.
David Walsh· Host0:58
We want better for you. Jerry does, too.
Speaker 21:00
Don't settle. Visit jerry.ai/acast.
David Walsh· Host1:04
[gentle music] From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is The Story. I'm David Walsh.
Carl Hayman· Guest1:14
Average day for me, I'm up pretty early, round about 5:00-ish. I normally go up to the, to the farm, um, where the cows will be then being milked.