Really sad news indeed, great player and top man. 
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fucking hellish disease. big man raised a shit tonne for MND research 
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Awww man, that’s really sad. I didn’t realise about his condition until he was at the Australia game the other week.
Real sad news. Awful & cruel disease, lost my uncle to it a few years ago who was a big rugby fan and local club player. More needs to be done and the empty promises from the government hurt - Rob Burrow: Government has blood on its hands over MND funding - BBC News
Weir and Burrow have raised so much money and attention for MND.
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Sad news.
Saw a thing with him, Rob Burrow and Stephen Darby on the BBC and it was a difficult watch, seeing the impact of the illness on the three of them, but Weir’s sense of humour was wicked, and the bond between them was obvious. Darby was in the earlier stages of his illness, but you could tell Weir and Burrow were a great help to him.
There are so many cases of neurodegenerative diseases now, and especially in sport it seems. Absolutely frightening, and no matter how much we talk about it its nowhere near enough.
Absolutely brutal seeing his decline over the last 18mths or so. What a man though. That fundraising and awareness he has raised is something else. RIP big man.
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So, so sad. An unbelievably compassionate person who gave up so much time supporting others despite his own battles. He wrote to a friend of mine shortly after my friend had been diagnosed. It gave my friend comfort at the hardest times.
RIP Doddie. I truly hope the legacy you have left behind leads to better funding and research to beat this.
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It’s hard not to see it getting more prevalent as well. You look at the size and speed of the players now and the impacts they’re going into in Union and League and it’s horrific, and there response is varying degrees of piss weak, but at least they’re acknowledging it unlike Football.
League must be rife. Watching them run full tilt into a wall of muscle is wincingly awful.
The number of players from the '66 squad who’ve been diagnosed with dementia compared to the national averages is pretty damning.
There’s a guy called John Stiles, son of Nobby, who’s been on a few podcasts talking about it who’s always a good listen. Chris Sutton as well has spoke quite forcefully about his dad’s struggles in later life.
There are so many cases. And it feels like they’re getting younger - lots of people in their fifties and forties.
This is a tough read on the dementia front Steve Thompson: Rugby World Cup winner describes impact of dementia - BBC Sport
His description of the scrum training is terrifying to think about, reform on it has been too slow so certainly feels like there is only going to more to come
It looks like if you’re not hitting upright and clashing heads, you’re not trying.
There was an incident in the England South Africa game today where Du Toit got sent off for a shoulder to the head. Absolutely inarguable red card, but, despite the fact that it happened right in front of the ref, looking straight at it, they played on for two minutes and came back to it on TMO. Shockingly negligent.
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Was gutted to hear this.
We were at the New Zealand match at Murrayfield a few years back when he got a standing ovation - one of the most emotionally charged moments I’ve felt at a sporting event. It was a shock to see him come out the same players tunnel a few weeks back having been impacted by the illness so much.
By complete chance, I’m in Melrose tonight, so will have a whisky in his honour.
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Real shame, such a horrible illness.
Incredibly sad, real hero of a man.
jesus, that scrum training stuff is barbaric