How a Plagiarism Scandal Could Change the World of Sports Concussions

Earlier this month, we took a look at the story of Paul McCrory, an Australian researcher and scientist with an expertise in the field of concussions and traumatic brain injury. 

At the time, McCrory was facing allegations of plagiarism in a letter that he published while he was an editor at the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM). The allegations were originally made by UK professor and researcher Steve Haake, who published his findings in a guest post at Retraction Watch. 

McCrory, for his part, admitted to the plagiarism but said that it was an isolated incident caused by sending the wrong draft to be published. The BJSM retracted the letter citing “an indefensible breach of copyright.”

As odd as it was to have an editor plagiarize in their own publication, the story seemed likely to end there. However, that was not the case.

The reason is simple, McCrory was, and in many ways still is, one of the most important voices in the field of concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Specifically, his work and clout have made him a key figure in the world of sports as leagues and organizations routinely turned to him for guidance on to how to best address the issue of brain injury.

As highlighted in this article in the New York Times, McCrory has had a major role in shaping concussion protocols for sports leagues all over the world. Through the Concussion in Sport Group that he headed, he was the lead author on their latest consensus statement, which has become the most prominent guidance for sports leagues and organizations. 

His work has guided sports organizations all over the world including the National Football League, the Australian Football League, Formula 1 Racing, the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and much, much more. 

However, now it appears that influence is waning. Following his plagiarism scandal, his critics have found new ground to attack him on. What started as an “isolated” plagiarism case has grown into at least 10 separate allegations of plagiarism and allegations that he knowingly misrepresented the work of others. 

This has led to a full reckoning of both his ethics and his career. Many of his previous supporters have begun distancing themselves from him including the Australian Football League, FIFA and even the Concussion in Sport Group itself, from which he resigned.

McCrory’s career and reputation are both in tatters right now. But if this downfall seems swift and vicious, one has to understand that the stage was set long before Haake penned his guest post for Retraction watch. 

A Controversial Figure

McCrory’s prominence is matched by his divisiveness, in particular among other CTE researchers. This is because McCrory has a long history of downplaying the impacts of CTE and has even, in one case, suggested that players’ neurological problems may be the result of substance abuse or genetics.

But as derided as he was often by his fellow researchers, whom he often traded barbs with, his opinions made him popular with various sports organizations. Simply put, the organizations were seeking scientific guidance that was both respected and minimized the impact of CTE on their operations.

Even as other researchers and other studies highlighted the dangers and prevalence of CTE among certain athletes, the ​​Concussion in Sport Group held fast and minimized the impacts. According to some researchers, this included misrepresenting data and findings along the way.

As such, the group has become the de facto standard for setting concussion protocols, protocols that many researchers feel are too relaxed.

However, it is unclear if there will be any major change in direction for the Concussion in Sport Group following McCrory’s resignation. Though he has been the most prevalent voice and the loudest, he is far from the only one.

For example, the 2016 consensus statement that McCrory was the lead author on had more than 30 other authors, many of whom have deep ties with sports leagues. That said, McCrory was always more than a lead author, he headed the group and was their spokesperson and public face. That is now gone.

Though many researchers have questioned the Concussion in Sport Group’s findings, McCrory’s downfall has given them reasons to outright dismiss them and that may make it more difficult for sports leagues to justify following them.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes sports leagues make in their concussion protocols due to this.

Bottom Line

Though it is impossible to know what will happen next, this could be a major turning point for sports leagues when it comes to CTE. 

That will depend both on if the Concussion in Sport Group heads in a different direction without McCrory or if the leagues stop leaning so heavily on the group’s work, should it stay the course.

If it does end up being a major shift, it will be strange to think that it all began with a plagiarism scandal. McCrory, due to his prominence, seemed invincible just a few months ago. However, all it took was Haake exposing a crack in McCrory’s armor, and things began to fall apart quickly.

It’s far too early to know what, if any, long-term impacts, but it goes to show that plagiarism can come back to bite a researcher at any point in their career. Even when they are the best-known expert in a field.