Siobhan Cattigan’s teammates reject comments by the head of the players’ union
Siobhan Cattigan’s teammates reject comments by the head of the players’ union: The turmoil that has been surrounding the passing of Scotland international Siobhan Cattigan has become more intense.
As a result, many of the Scotland international’s teammates have rejected the statements made by the head of their playing association, who voiced support for the Scottish medical team and head coach on their behalf.
In an interview, the chief executive officer of Rugby Players Scotland, Bill Mitchell stated that the team would be “upset” if it was even suggested that the care offered by the Scottish Rugby Union was anything less than “outstanding.”
He also stated to the Herald in Scotland that the team was “very supportive” of the head coach, Bryan Easson. Easson was in charge during a match against Wales in the 2021 Six Nations when Cattigan’s family claims she was urged to return to the field after suffering a significant brain injury. He was in charge during the match. According to the SRU, no medical staff member who was present that day remembers that event, and Easson emphatically denies making the demand.
Mitchell, who was appearing to speak on behalf of the squad, stated as follows when he was given the opportunity to do so: “We cannot and will not challenge what the Cattigans believe [but] what we can do is put forward our understanding of how this squad experiences playing for Scotland, and the support they receive… They are dissatisfied with the inference that can be formed that the medically and pastoral care that they receive is subpar, despite the fact that the healthcare and pastoral care that they receive is great.
However, within a few hours following the publishing of Mitchell’s words, more than 20 members of the Scotland squad, including the team’s captain, Rachel Malcolm, had published the same statement on Twitter. It stated that neither the team nor any of its members were aware that this RPS article had been published, as well as the statements that were ascribed to them in the piece. We are heartbroken over the loss of our friend and teammate Siobhan, and our prayers are with her family.
RPS
According to statements made by Mitchell to the Guardian, “The RPS are comfortable with the integrity of the story.” Conversations are currently taking place in order to ensure that we safeguard the participants’ interests, as this is a primary concern of ours.
Mitchell is eager to place an emphasis on the autonomy of the RPS in relation to the SRU. The RPS is an unusual example of this kind of organisation because it is one of the few that is not supported, at least in part, by the governing body of the sport in which it participates.
It was created in 2018, making it the last players’ collective to be established in a major union. As a result, he claims that his statements are not the voice of the union itself speaking through him, but rather they are an accurate reflection of the views of the players.
The fact that so many members of the team have voiced their opposition to the piece seems to throw that theory into question. It also symbolises the most recent increase in criticism of the way the SRU dealt with Cattigan before her death and of the events that transpired following her passing. The heartbreaking account that the Cattigan family provided to the Sunday Times the previous month said that the union and its members had committed a number of errors.
A torrent of anger has been directed on the SRU in response to the charges, and the family has decided to pursue legal action.