Former Australia under 20 international retires at 22 after concussion

SYDNEY - Former Australia under-20 international Mason Gordon has retired from rugby at the age of 22 after experiencing continuing symptoms of a concussion sustained in pre-season training at the Queensland Reds.

Fullback Gordon, a Junior Wallaby in 2022 and 2023, said in an open letter released by Queensland Rugby on Wednesday that this was not the way he had envisaged his career ending.

After sustaining a concussion during pre-season training from which I continue to have symptoms, and with the support of medical advice, I have made the difficult decision to retire from rugby on medical grounds, he wrote.

This is an unfortunate injury, however I am grateful for the memories I have of my professional rugby career and will cherish the friendships I have made forever.

Gordon, whose brother Carter played for Australia at the last World Cup before defecting to rugby league, played four Super Rugby matches for the now defunct Melbourne Rebels before moving to the Reds for this season.

Concussion has become a major issue for rugby union and new protocols have been introduced at all levels of the game to try to mitigate the impact of serious head knocks.

World Rugby is one of the targets of a long-running class action lawsuit filed by former rugby union and league players who say they are still suffering health consequences after sustaining repeated concussions while playing. REUTERS

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