Phil Vickery, the former England captain who started the 2003 World Cup final victory over Australia, has pledged to donate his brain for research into the damage caused by head injuries. The 50-year-old was diagnosed two years ago with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated blows to the head that can only be confirmed after death.
Vickery made his pledge in an interview with The Observer published on Saturday, in which he spoke openly about the fear and confusion that now shape his daily life. A mainstay of England's front row for more than a decade, he won 73 caps, toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2001 and 2009, and captained the side at the 2007 World Cup four years after starting the final win over Australia. He retired in 2010.
In the interview, Vickery admitted he has considered taking his own life, saying he wants his brain to be used to further research into neurodegenerative diseases. “Is that gonna make someone stand up? I don’t know. What a horrible thing to say. But what does it have to take?” he asked. He described living with the diagnosis as an unrelenting weight, insisting he will not be broken by it: “It won’t beat me. You know, I keep going.”