'We're at risk of not having a game': NRL star's dire warning that lawsuits over dangerous concussions could DESTROY footy – as he admits old school players think today's cohort has made the game 'soft'
- NRL star Boyd Cordner announced his premature retirement due to head knocks
- A former NRL halfback fears future lawsuits could ruin game unless issue tackled
- Joe Williams fears future fans are at risk of not having a game in 50 years time
- Acknowledged 1980s players would call game soft but says issue needs fixing
A former footy player fears the NRL could go bankrupt as a result of lawsuits from head knocks and concussions, with more and more young players forced off the field.
Former indigenous halfback turned boxer Joe Williams weighed into the debate as concerned league officials ramp up their crackdown on high head contact and enforce stricter concussion protocol.
Sydney Roosters and NSW captain Boyd Cordner fought back tears as he became the second player within weeks on Monday to announce his early retirement at the age of 29 following a series of serious head knocks.
Williams, now 37, also suffered a number of head knocks during his rugby league career which resulted in mental health battles and contemplated taking his own life 10 years ago.
Speaking on The Project on Monday night, he expressed his sadness about the premature end to Cordner's career - but said is pleased the conversation about the issue is getting louder.
He also issued a dire warning that future concussion lawsuits could ruin the game and admits many don't understand the severity of the issue.
NRL star Boyd Cordner (pictured) retired from the game at an emotional press conference on Monday
'A player is going the do everything a player possibly can to make sure that he's playing,' Williams told the show.
'That's just what players do, and it's the athleticism, it's the competitor in every single player. So, for me, I want to still play. I still want to box. Like, it's the athlete's mentality that you just want to do.
'But when it comes to the safety and, you know, insurance that the game - that we have a game in 50 years' time, because the way things are going with class action suits and so forth, we're at risk of not having a game.'
Rugby league and other contact sports have become increasingly aware of the long-term effects of concussions and head knocks and have introduced harsher penalties for those who make forceful head-high contact.
Studies show that repeated head knocks greatly increase the chance of players suffering Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in retirement, with sometimes severe physical and mental impacts for the remainder of their lives.
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Williams acknowledged it was polarising issue and the heavy fire Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V'Landys has come under in enforcing the crackdown and stricter rules.
'But if I'm honest, it's just a progression of where the game is headed,' he said.
'You see what the 1980s was like compared to now - the players from the '80s would call the game now soft.
'It's just about keeping the game and the players' safety at heart.'
Former NRL halfback Joe Williams (pictured) fears lawsuits over concussions and head knocks could ruin rugby league unless the issue is addressed
Now a motivational speaker, Williams also opened up about the impact head knocks have had on his life, from forgetting about the death of a friend 12 months ago and missing appointments to not picking his kids up from school and returning calls.
'I don't care what people say, you can't say that that's not from getting knocked around the head,' he said.
'But as I've said it numerous times - I'm not interested in the people who say it is or it isn't an impacting factor. I'm more interested in how we fix it.'
Cordner hadn't played a game since the last heavy knock suffered during a State of Origin game last November.
He welcomed the NRL's crackdown on head high tackles as he fought back tears while announcing his retirement.
Joe Williams, pictured playing for South Sydney in 2004, suffered a number of head knocks during his career, which have impacted on his life
Boyd Cordner retired on Monday, seven months after his last game when he suffered a heavy knock (pictured) in the 2020 State of Origin opener
'Player welfare and player safety has got to be the forefront of everything,' Cordner said.
'There's been a lot of talk about the way the game's changed, and it is changing, but in all of that we've got to find a really good balance with it.
'We've seen over the last week, we're starting to find that, which is good.
'But for me personally, with the head highs, all of my concussions and head knocks have sorted of been from me and my tackling technique.
'But I do support the NRL in what they're trying to do.'
It follows the premature retirement of Roosters teammate and Queensland hooker Jake Friend in April.
World Rugby is facing a concussion lawsuit from eight former players over the effects of such knocks, with some players even being diagnosed with early onset dementia before the age of 45.
Sydney Roosters star Jake Friend (pictured in May) also recently called full-time on his career
