Steve Thompson (rugby union)

Steve Thompson MBE is a former rugby union player who played at hooker for Northampton Saints and England. On 3 December 2011 Thompson announced his immediate retirement from the game. In December 2020, Thompson, aged 42, revealed that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

About Steve Thompson (rugby union) in brief

Steve Thompson MBE is a former rugby union player who played at hooker for Northampton Saints and England. He was once England’s most capped hooker, and played for the British and Irish Lions. On 3 December 2011 Thompson announced his immediate retirement from the game, following a recurrence of a serious neck injury sustained in Wasps’ training in late October. In December 2020, Thompson, aged 42, revealed that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He said that he has no memory at all of events such as winning the World Cup, sometimes forgets his wife’s name, would not do it again, and would not like his son to take up rugby \”the way it is at the moment\”.

Thompson and seven other players under 45 with a similar diagnosis were proposing to take legal action against World Rugby for failing to protect them. He has also been appointed as sports ambassador for security and facilities management services company Transguard, and worked in the media as rugby analyst for OSN and ESPN.

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