THEY SAY TIME is a healer and that process is only just beginning for Kevin McLaughlin as he adapts to life after professional rugby.
McLaughlin was still a couple of weeks shy of his 31st birthday when he was concussed during Leinster’s Guinness Pro12 opener against Edinburgh last month.
Having recently been named Leinster’s captain, McLaughlin still had many years of service left to give. But this knock was one concussion too many.
Eighteen days after leading his team out for the first game of the new season, McLaughlin was announcing his retirement from the game.
Three weeks later, he’s in Sam’s Bar in Dublin with a group of reporters, taking questions about concussion instead of Leinster’s game against the Scarlets tomorrow night.
The reality of his situation is starting to hit home. Being a professional rugby player is a thing of the past and that’s difficult to fathom — for those of us posing the questions, as much as it is for the man answering them.
“It probably has hit me. It’s beginning to hit me. I haven’t cleared out my locker yet, that’ll be a big moment,” says McLaughlin, who won eight caps for Ireland, as well as two Heineken Cups, one Challenge Cup and three Pro12 titles with Leinster.
“The first week when I did retire was absolutely manic, with the press release and everything like that. I was overwhelmed, to be honest, with the support I received. I couldn’t believe it.
“But I’ve been able to reflect over the last few weeks and planning forward for my next steps has helped a lot in terms of looking at what I’m going to do next. That has kind of eased things as well.”
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Kevin McLaughlin on the charge against the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium in November 2013. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
McLaughlin doesn’t reveal what his long-term future has in store, but for now he still has a part to play for Leinster, having been asked by head coach Leo Cullen to assist with the development of some of the squad’s younger players — of which there are many at the moment while the big names are away on international duty.
McLaughlin: “I was lucky enough when I retired that Leo asked me to hang around and help out in terms of a mentoring role and a coaching role while some of the senior lads are away at the World Cup.
“To be perfectly honest, I was absolutely delighted when he asked me. I was very keen to stay involved because retiring in the context of waking up, having nothing to do and no career sorted out was very depressing. But retiring in the context of being able to hang around and phase out my involvement in rugby sat a lot easier with me.
“It’s been okay, the last few weeks. I’ve begun to accept that it’s time to move on and I’m starting to assess my next career now.”
While enforced retirement is always the worst-case scenario for a professional player, McLaughlin is grateful for Leinster’s medical staff, who used their expertise to take the appropriate course of action after his concussion against Edinburgh.
Concussion will always be an issue in an attritional sport like rugby. If it can’t be prevented, it must be managed correctly instead. In that regard, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of clubs, the IRFU and the players themselves.
The approach to concussion in the game is changing for the better. In 2010, when his former team-mate and current Leinster scrum coach John Fogarty hung up his boots for the same reason, things weren’t quite the same.
“I was very lucky in that the Leinster medical staff were the ones who encouraged me to see a neurologist. The decision was taken out of my hands.
“In John’s circumstances, five years ago or whatever, the knowledge wasn’t as good then so maybe it took him a little bit longer to come to his conclusion,” McLaughlin explains.
“The great thing is that he’s up and running now. He’s really happy, he’s got a great career as Leinster’s scrum coach and he’s able to tell his story and encourage guys to be honest in terms of their own situation. I think that’s very helpful. It’s one thing hearing the IRFU say it but when it comes from players and peers, I think it’s a lot more powerful.”
Kevin McLaughlin, flanked by Gordon D'Arcy and Ronan O'Gara, before his debut for Ireland in 2010. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Increasing an awareness of the importance of the concussion issue is vital, McLaughlin says, and a documentary which aired earlier this month on RTÉ — called ‘Hidden Impact’ — did an excellent job of communicating that.
“My thoughts were that it was a good programme. It was good for people to have that kind of awareness. I know my cousin plays on the J2s for Monkstown and he got a bang on the head at the weekend. He said that before, he never would have realised it was concussion, but having seen that programme he came off. He took himself off.
“Creating that awareness is what the IRFU have been trying to do. A programme like that really hits home. That’s one of the big problems with concussion, that a lot of the time people don’t know that they’ve been concussed.”
When asked how many times he’s been concussed during his career, McLaughlin drew the line. At this early stage, he’s not quite ready to dig so deeply into his own experiences of it. And understandably so.
“I wouldn’t like to even think about that at the moment, to be honest. It’s all still a little bit raw for me and I don’t really like going into a huge amount of detail in my own personal circumstances with regards to concussion yet. I think there will be a time when I feel like I can come out and talk about it.
“I’ve been very luck that the medical staff have put me first. I have no symptoms, I feel absolutely perfect and the decision was made by the neurologist that I had to retire, so I wasn’t going to argue with him.”
It’s the end of the road for Kevin McLaughlin the professional rugby player, but you get the sense that it might be a little while yet before the sport has seen the last of him.
Kevin McLaughlin was speaking to The42 at the ‘Boast’ Rugby World Cup preview event. Boast, the world’s leading audio social media app, hosted the first of its kind rugby preview event where fans tuned in and engaged directly with a panel of rugby experts. The app is available for free download on iOS or Android and allows users to connect with like-minded individuals, as well as radio stations, from around the world on the hottest topics ranging from sport to politics and ‘Boast’ their opinions using their real voice.
Kevin McLaughlin: 'I haven't cleared out my locker yet, that'll be a big moment'
THEY SAY TIME is a healer and that process is only just beginning for Kevin McLaughlin as he adapts to life after professional rugby.
McLaughlin was still a couple of weeks shy of his 31st birthday when he was concussed during Leinster’s Guinness Pro12 opener against Edinburgh last month.
Having recently been named Leinster’s captain, McLaughlin still had many years of service left to give. But this knock was one concussion too many.
Eighteen days after leading his team out for the first game of the new season, McLaughlin was announcing his retirement from the game.
Three weeks later, he’s in Sam’s Bar in Dublin with a group of reporters, taking questions about concussion instead of Leinster’s game against the Scarlets tomorrow night.
The reality of his situation is starting to hit home. Being a professional rugby player is a thing of the past and that’s difficult to fathom — for those of us posing the questions, as much as it is for the man answering them.
“It probably has hit me. It’s beginning to hit me. I haven’t cleared out my locker yet, that’ll be a big moment,” says McLaughlin, who won eight caps for Ireland, as well as two Heineken Cups, one Challenge Cup and three Pro12 titles with Leinster.
“The first week when I did retire was absolutely manic, with the press release and everything like that. I was overwhelmed, to be honest, with the support I received. I couldn’t believe it.
“But I’ve been able to reflect over the last few weeks and planning forward for my next steps has helped a lot in terms of looking at what I’m going to do next. That has kind of eased things as well.”
McLaughlin doesn’t reveal what his long-term future has in store, but for now he still has a part to play for Leinster, having been asked by head coach Leo Cullen to assist with the development of some of the squad’s younger players — of which there are many at the moment while the big names are away on international duty.
McLaughlin: “I was lucky enough when I retired that Leo asked me to hang around and help out in terms of a mentoring role and a coaching role while some of the senior lads are away at the World Cup.
“It’s been okay, the last few weeks. I’ve begun to accept that it’s time to move on and I’m starting to assess my next career now.”
While enforced retirement is always the worst-case scenario for a professional player, McLaughlin is grateful for Leinster’s medical staff, who used their expertise to take the appropriate course of action after his concussion against Edinburgh.
Concussion will always be an issue in an attritional sport like rugby. If it can’t be prevented, it must be managed correctly instead. In that regard, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of clubs, the IRFU and the players themselves.
The approach to concussion in the game is changing for the better. In 2010, when his former team-mate and current Leinster scrum coach John Fogarty hung up his boots for the same reason, things weren’t quite the same.
“In John’s circumstances, five years ago or whatever, the knowledge wasn’t as good then so maybe it took him a little bit longer to come to his conclusion,” McLaughlin explains.
“The great thing is that he’s up and running now. He’s really happy, he’s got a great career as Leinster’s scrum coach and he’s able to tell his story and encourage guys to be honest in terms of their own situation. I think that’s very helpful. It’s one thing hearing the IRFU say it but when it comes from players and peers, I think it’s a lot more powerful.”
Increasing an awareness of the importance of the concussion issue is vital, McLaughlin says, and a documentary which aired earlier this month on RTÉ — called ‘Hidden Impact’ — did an excellent job of communicating that.
“My thoughts were that it was a good programme. It was good for people to have that kind of awareness. I know my cousin plays on the J2s for Monkstown and he got a bang on the head at the weekend. He said that before, he never would have realised it was concussion, but having seen that programme he came off. He took himself off.
“Creating that awareness is what the IRFU have been trying to do. A programme like that really hits home. That’s one of the big problems with concussion, that a lot of the time people don’t know that they’ve been concussed.”
When asked how many times he’s been concussed during his career, McLaughlin drew the line. At this early stage, he’s not quite ready to dig so deeply into his own experiences of it. And understandably so.
“I’ve been very luck that the medical staff have put me first. I have no symptoms, I feel absolutely perfect and the decision was made by the neurologist that I had to retire, so I wasn’t going to argue with him.”
It’s the end of the road for Kevin McLaughlin the professional rugby player, but you get the sense that it might be a little while yet before the sport has seen the last of him.
Kevin McLaughlin was speaking to The42 at the ‘Boast’ Rugby World Cup preview event. Boast, the world’s leading audio social media app, hosted the first of its kind rugby preview event where fans tuned in and engaged directly with a panel of rugby experts. The app is available for free download on iOS or Android and allows users to connect with like-minded individuals, as well as radio stations, from around the world on the hottest topics ranging from sport to politics and ‘Boast’ their opinions using their real voice.
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