Influential brain injury researcher in sports resigns over plagiarism

The leader of a group of highly influential scientists dealing with brain injuries in sports has resigned due to plagiarism. It’s about Australian neurologist Paul McCrory, who is regarded worldwide as the most influential researcher in the field of brain injury in sport.

McCrory led the so-called “Concussion Group in Sports” (CISG). This is about thirty scientists (in different compositions) who develop guidelines for dealing with brain injury in sports. Nearly all of the world’s sports federations – in football, soccer, rugby, ice hockey and other sports – are building the way team physicians treat brain injuries based on this group’s guidelines.

McCrory’s resignation could have serious consequences for the view of brain injury in various sports. The Australian is known for his conservative view of the risk of brain damage from professional sports. In a 2016 lecture, he downplayed the numerous scientific reports and media articles showing that many American football players in the United States had developed serious brain diseases throughout their careers. How did you talk about ‘all the trouble and woo ha“From the United States would make the general public mistakenly believe that sport can be dangerous.

Ignore the scientific evidence

from search by Norwegian Refugee CouncilSince late 2020, it has since emerged that McCrory and the concussion group in sports have been systematically ignoring much of the scientific evidence that sports are dangerous to the brain. In addition, many scholars said Norwegian Refugee Council They had objected in their investigation by the members of the CISG.

Read also: Research article by NRC on sports associations seemingly far from brain injurystarring neurologist Paul McCrory and a concussion group in sports

Someone saw a large-scale study of the brains of Australian rugby players after McCrory – who had nothing to do with the study – criticized him. According to several scientists, CIS members withheld further information about the athletes’ risk of brain injury.

But in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that athletes can seriously struggle with their careers. CTE brain disease has been found in the brains of more than six hundred former NFL (American football) players. It is caused by blows to the head and can lead to psychological problems and even severe dementia. Last weekend, it was announced that the disease was also detected in the brain of the late Dutch footballer Wout Holverda. This was the first time that CTE had been found in a Dutch athlete. His doctors were able to rule out a cause other than his athletic career. Chances are, the heads did the damage. In Australia, CTE has been found in several former rugby players – three of whom are under 35 years old.

A British parliamentary committee last year at the concussion also questioned the sporting group’s impartiality. He conducted research in dealing with brain injury in different sports. The committee found the sale agreement to have significant strength, including through funding from the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and World Rugby.

It has become clear in recent years that athletes can become seriously ill from their careers

British parliamentarians have expressed “concerns” about the use of CISG protocols by sports federations. It would be very conservative and forbid “changing the rules of sport to improve safety”.

The issue surrounding neurologist Paul McCrory arose when a colleague was accused of plagiarizing scientific work. In 2005, he was said to have copied more than half of an article in the influential British Journal of Sports Medicine from another world. McCrory himself was working at that magazine at the time. The article has since been withdrawn due to “unlawful and indefensible copyright infringement”. According to the English newspaper Watchman McCrory is said to have spoken to colleagues about a “fatal mistake” when he resigned. More publications by McCrory – including those on brain injury – are now being investigated.

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