Former France Rugby player Sebastien Chabal says he has 'no memories' for his international career. Chabal played 62 times for France from 2000 to 2011 as a back-row forward. He made the comments in an interview but did not mention the word 'concussion' which could be the underlying reason for his condition.

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A concussion can be described as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) which causes temporary, and in some cases, prolonged loss of normal brain function.

"I don't remember a single second of a rugby match I played (as reprted by news agency AFP) ," Chabal said in an interview published on YouTube channel Legend on Wednesday (Apr 10) in French. "I don't remember a single one of the 62 Marseillaises (French national anthem) I experienced."

Also Read: What actually is a concussion and how does it affect the brain

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"What would you do, my memory won't return," he added while mentioning that he doesn't even remember his daughter's birth.

The former Rugby player, however, accepted that he has not consulted a doctor for his condition.

In December 2023, nearly 300 former Rugby players including England World Cup-winners Steve Thompson, who has revealed that he's suffering from early on-set dementia, and Phil Vickery started a legal battle for their brain injuries.

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The players said that World Rugby,  the Welsh Rugby Union and the RFU failed to protect their health and safety.

Recently, 27-year-old Australian cricket player Will Pucovski also announced his retirement from the game after suffering more than 10 concussion during his career.

The batter last played any form of cricket in March 2024 when another hit by the ball on his head made him quit the match and doctor advised him to retire from the game altogether.

How does a concussion affect the brain?

The best way to explain how a concussion affects the human brain could be taken from a 2015 movie with the same name. Hollywood actor Will Smith played the role of Nigerian-American doctor Bennet Omalu who studied the link between effect of concussion resulting from repeated hits athletes took in NFL.

Omalu, Smith's character in the movie, took an apple and put it in a glass jar with filled half to 3/4th with water. He then held the jar horizontally to the ground and shook it at intervals. After some time, the hard apple became loose on the surface with its skin coming off and subsequently the pulp inside started coming out in pieces as well.

Omalu said in the scene: "Human brain is like the apple, in a liquid (called cerebrospinal fluid, water in this case)) and is not in direct contact with skull (glass jar)."

By shaking the glass jar, Omalu tried to replicate the hits athletes took in NFL while playing the high contact sport and just like the apple became loose and the pulp started coming off, brain gets injured with neurons getting damaged and blood starts coming out like in any other injury in body.

A concussion can affect the brain in many ways with headache being the most immediate symptom including drowsiness and feeling dizzy as well. 

Repeated concussion can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which can affect individual behaviour, physical impairment and in some cases dementia as well.