Lewis Moody discusses his motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis in a new BBC documentary with former team-mate Ben Youngs.
The documentary, entitled Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?, sees Moody open up about his life since being diagnosed with MND.
Moody Reflects on Rugby’s Risks
Youngs asks Moody if he ever saw a risk to playing rugby. Moody played alongside Youngs, winning 71 caps for England and touring with the British and Irish Lions. He also won domestic and European titles with Leicester.
Moody was known for his commitment and disregard for pain, earning him the nickname ‘Mad Dog’.
Moody tells Youngs that he was aware of the risks. “I do think I was very aware of the risks rugby presented, when you go and smash yourself into another human being week in week out, day in day out,” Moody says.
He adds, “I think I was acutely aware of the risks that come with injury and concussion, but I was happy that the reward and the joy of playing the sport far outweighed any of those.”
“I enjoyed what I did so much that I was prepared to put up with that, and I would do again. I loved it… I absolutely loved it.”
MND and Rugby: Addressing the Connection
Moody was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) last year. Other rugby players have also received the same diagnosis.
Rugby league legend Rob Burrow died in June 2024. Scotland international Doddie Weir and former Springbok Joost van der Westhuizen also died with the condition. Ed Slater, whose career at Leicester overlapped with Moody’s by a season, retired from playing in July 2022 after tests showed he too had MND.
There is no proven link between rugby and MND, though elite athletes are disproportionally affected by the condition. It is thought low levels of oxygen in the body during intense exercise damage motor neurone cells, triggering the disease in those who are susceptible through genetics or environmental factors.
Moody recognises rugby has become linked with MND in the public’s mind.
“I don’t get frustrated by it,” he says. “It is an easy assumption to make, because you have had a couple of high-profile rugby players with MND, that playing rugby makes you more likely to get MND. But that is not the truth.”
He explains, “The only link and connection to MND and sport is around extreme exertion. There are research papers out there that talk about the connections. If you speak to the scientists or clinicians in this space, there are multiple reasons MND occurs. It’s not one thing.”
Moody retired from rugby 14 years ago.