- Sébastien Chabal revealed earlier this month, he was struggling with a memory loss
- Chabal has now talked about his problems since his retreat from rugby
The French rugby icon Sebastien Chabal has spoken for the first time since he revealed that he did not remember any of his sparkling career.
Chabal, 47, won 62 caps for France between 2000 and 2011 and was largely considered to be one of the most formidable players of his time thanks largely to his imposing size and his infamous shaggy beard.
But he admitted earlier this month that he does not remember a “second” of his days of play and that he cannot even remember the birth of his daughter because of his difficulties with the loss of memory.
The story of Chabal sparked a major reaction from the rugby community, and he approached the public’s response in a television interview with the Rugby Club Canal on Sunday.
He declared himself “sad” that so many people had been surprised by his difficulties and called to do more to help the players who encountered him similar problems after hanging their boots.
“I found him (the public’s response) a little sad,” said Chabal. “ We who are close to the fields of the players, we know that there are players who have said strong and clear that they have real problems, real problems in their daily life and unfortunately it has not been relayed or supported.
Sébastien Chabal (photo) revealed earlier this month, he does not remember any of his career
Chabal again talked about his difficulties with the loss of memory since he stopped playing
Chabal does not remember his greatest moments on the ground or the birth of his daughter
“This is what bored me a little. Just because the bearded man says he doesn’t remember that we should have made a big noise. We should have been better interested in people for whom daily life is difficult.
Chabal spent five years in England during his career with sales sharks and won the European Challenge Cup in his first season in 2005.
Twenty years after this triumph, Chabal said he was “almost completely erased from my memory”.
In addition to having difficulty remembering his greatest moments in the field, Chabal also explained how his memory loss affects his daily life.
“You notice it when you talk to friends,” he said. “In a conversation, I am not me who speaks the most – maybe it is my temperament – and I am not me who says” do you remember? “”
“I listen, I agree, we don’t want to talk too much, we hide a little, we try to protect ourselves or not to face the truth but it’s been a long time. This morning, my wife asked me if I remembered when my parents came (for sale) … I have no memory.
“In the interview, I said that I did not remember the birth of my daughter, it is a reality. My wife said to me but I don’t know. A memory is often accompanied by emotions, sensations, images … I no longer have that. It is not a power failure but as far as rugby is concerned, I have little more.
Concrease in rugby has become a major subject of discussion in recent years, but this was not the case when Chabal was playing at the highest level.
Chabal called to do more to help players encounter problems similar to him
Chabal spent five years in England with sales sharks but has no memories of this period of his life
He admitted that he was not sure whether the suffering of concussion during his career had led to his current state, but conceded medical checks at the time “were not very advanced”.
Chabal wants to know more about his condition and promised to be treated because he confirmed that he had an appointment with the doctor later this week.
“I will be checked, be treated,” he said, while he submits to improve his quality of life at 11 years after his retirement.
