Jeremy Wilson
The Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph
Jeremy was invited this year to spend a day with the former England captain Dave Watson, who is living with suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a devastating neurodegenerative disease caused by head impacts which leads to dementia.
It has been found in numerous American football players and boxers but also now many British former footballers. Dave and his wife Penny described their moving journey since Dave first experienced memory problems in 2011, and revealed their legal case to have dementia in football recognised as an industrial disease. The story was followed up by ITV, who made a short film about Dave’s life. A full length documentary is currently also being made. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/10/25/dave-watson-battle-dementia-england-man-city-sunderland/ - It was a year of significant progress in the dementia in football campaign. In May, the FA announced that England would completely ban heading in young children’s football. This new policy was implemented at the start of the current 2024-25 season and will reduce the risk associated with heading for millions. Jeremy also exclusively reported on two landmark inquests. This included revealing the extraordinary attempt by the FA to stop a coroner investigating whether the former Middlesbrough defender Bill Gates was killed by his job. The FA’s intervention was only publicly disclosed after Jeremy personally attended the pre-inquest hearing in County Durham. His report prompted outrage, was extensively followed up by other media, and there are now plans for a parliamentary inquiry into the issue. Jeremy had also revealed this year how a coroner may now issue the first ‘prevention of future death’ report to a sports governing body in respect of football’s dementia crisis. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/10/01/fa-prevent-inquest-football-role-bill-gates-death-dementia/ - Exactly 40 years after one of the greatest moments in British sports history, Jeremy accompanied Sebastian Coe to the scene of his triumph at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He then told in gripping detail the remarkable story behind Coe’s recovery from a career-threatening illness to become the only man to defend the Olympic 1500m title. That included the extraordinary influence of his father, Peter, who had survived a concentration camp before becoming one of the greatest ever athletics coaches. Coe also revealed for the first time how he later returned to LA to privately scatter his father’s ashes at the scene of his finest race. As well as an evocative cover story, Jeremy’s interview provided extensive digital content, including an extended special report and film that was also published on YouTube. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/seb-coe-los-angeles-coliseum-interview/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS74GzzI22Y