The top-tier player’s concussions led to a brain injury and an early retirement from playing. Shane Christie worked with New Zealand Rugby to develop fixes to concussion management but the death of his friend and fellow player Billy Guyton spurred Christie to speak publicly on concussion. New Zealand Rugby has told him the recommended fixes they devised are confidential.
Former Māori All Black and Super Rugby player Shane Christie has been gagged by New Zealand Rugby from talking about safety recommendations he negotiated when he could no longer play the game because of concussion-related brain injury. The recommendations were conceived in 2018 after Christie stopped playing and were bolted on to a review carried out by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) into his medical care. Christie, 39, was deeply affected by the 2023 death of friend and fellow player Billy Guyton, who was diagnosed after death with a brain condition linked to repeated head knocks and concussion.
Guyton’s death, being investigated by the coroner as a suspected suicide, spurred Christie to clarify with NZR the status of the recommendations , which he insisted be addressed at the time his own medical care was being investigated, saying he wanted to talk about those publicly..