Former England captain reveals the ordeal of proving his innocence in Azeem Rafiq case caused inflammatory illness that left him ‘barely able to cross the road’
The Times
Gerry Gajadharsingh writes:
“The ECB cleared the Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan in 2023 of using racist language towards ex-Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq. However, it seems clear that the stress of being accused was a major factor in precipitating severe inflammatory musculoskeletal symptoms in the cricketer.
Many people are familiar with the so-called fight and flight response. The effect of stress on the body and mind provokes numerous mechanisms mediated via the autonomic nerve system and hormonal system as a way of switching on systems in the response to the stress. Usually this is a good thing and in evolutionary terms tends to be protective. However, significant stressful events or ongoing stress can often provoke what we call a freeze response. Unable to run away or indeed actively fight, modern life and its events seem to be causing numerous problems for people mediated on a psychoneuroimmunological level. Inflammatory consequences, especially in rheumatology does appear to be a relatively common manifestation.
When a patient experiences severe symptoms, inevitably the worry is about whether or not there is any sinister pathology causing those symptoms. Sometimes it’s a process of ruling things out and the trigger of stress is commonly only really understood after some time by both patients and clinicians.
I have a special interest in rheumatological/inflammatory problems partly because of my own experience with symptoms similar to Michael Vaughan over 25 years ago again triggered off by significant stress. The experience told me a lot about the importance of psychoneuroimmunology and led me to introduce the concept to both diagnostics and treatment interventions for my own patients.
https://www.thehealthequation.co.uk/diagnostic-consultations/
With the increasing levels of intolerance affecting many societies in the world only expect the incident of these symptoms to increase.”
Michael Vaughan has revealed that he has been fighting an inflammatory illness caused by the stress of being charged with making racist and discriminatory statements towards his former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq.
The former England captain was cleared by the cricket disciplinary commission “on the balance of probabilities” in March last year but said the nine-month process to prove his innocence had resulted in him being unable to complete even the simplest of tasks, leaving the 49-year-old worried he had a serious illness such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis.
“There were loads of times I wouldn’t go out because I was embarrassed,” Vaughan told the Daily Telegraph. “Even climbing in and out of the car was awful. I would try to walk over the road to Starbucks and I’d be hobbling.
“If I had been 80 with this, I would have wanted to be shot. I genuinely feared the worst.”
Vaughan, who said that at times the pain was “intolerable”, had blood tests that showed his inflammation markers were “sky high” after which he was prescribed two powerful steroid injections, but they provided only a temporary solution.
MRI scans showed there was nothing physically wrong with him, so he flew to Australia last winter to work for Fox Sports. However, Vaughan said that at one point he was so weak and exhausted that he could not lift the microphone.
“I was put on the highest level of CBD vape, the same substance that some cancer patients use to get rid of the pain, but I still couldn’t tie my shoelaces,” he said.
“My body reacted in a way that I’m sure many people’s bodies do in the same situation. The same illness can occur after bereavement.”
After returning from Australia earlier this year, Vaughan was sent for CT scan, which again revealed no physical issues. It was then, he said, that he realised his problems were stress-related and that the inflammatory condition was triggered by the anxiety and stress of the previous three years.
Vaughan was charged by the ECB with having made a racist remark in 2009 towards Rafiq and three other Yorkshire players of Asian heritage. Vaughan was alleged to have said: “There’s too many of you lot, we need to do something about that,” before a T20 match at Trent Bridge — something he has continually denied.
During the time between being charged and cleared, Vaughan stepped away from his commentary duties with the BBC’s Test Match Special and he said he feared his media career could be over. He also said the allegations against him had taken a toll on his wife and three children.
He has been seeing a psychiatrist as part of his treatment for the stress and inflammatory pain. He has also had other treatments, such as taking ice baths to regulate his nervous system, infrared saunas, reformer Pilates and daily injections of immune system energisers.