Over the weekend, England swept aside Wales, with winger Tommy Freeman among the try-scorers in a statement win at Twickenham – his second was ruled out – but by then Freeman had already made an impact of a different kind.
In the build-up to the game, he took part in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) on r/rugbyunion, and the most-upvoted question was not about tactics, selection or Wales – it was about epilepsy.
“Hi Tommy, what’s it like balancing top-end professional rugby with your epilepsy? … I unfortunately have it myself, but I’m wondering what it’s like to have a good lifestyle in your environment with it,” one user asked.
Freeman’s reply was disarmingly simple: “The only balancing is staying on top of tablets daily, but outside of that, you just turn up and play rugby. You put it to the back of your mind and not worry about it.”
A day after the Wales game, at Allianz Stadium, Sports Gazette sat down with Northampton Saints star, conveniently ahead of International Epilepsy Day, to go beyond a few lines on Reddit.
Being one of the few high-profile English athletes to speak publicly about epilepsy, he opened up about his triggers, his diagnosis as a teenager and what it means to play Test rugby with a condition many still misunderstand.
When thinking of epilepsy, you may immediately think of all the warnings that films, television shows and even video games give to the effect of ‘WARNING: FLASHING IMAGES’. Especially in sports now, where you see all the pre-game build-up, whether it be in an arena or a stadium like Alinaz Stadium.
You would be right, but for Freeman, that isn’t the case.
“So, I’m not light affected, so my triggers are probably alcohol and lack of sleep, which is a bit boring, isn’t it?”
Reflecting on his only fit in 2019 while with the Saints, Freeman discussed the importance of consistent medication and living a normal life, including nights out, while prioritising safety.
“Thankfully, the tablets all work. Outside of that, I just try to avoid it, as in forget about it… I just go out and do what I can do, and obviously you’ve got to be careful around alcohol, making sure you get some sleep in… on nights out.”
“You’ve just got to be careful, the next day is probably when you’re a bit vulnerable, and you’ve got to make some good decisions, and get past it all the time.”
For the England star, he has had seizures since 14; he has lived a big chunk of his life with them and got an official diagnosis at 19.
He talked in detail about the absent seizures he would have as a kid, explaining:
“I was having these conversations where I’d be talking and then I’d just stop… and that was when I first realised… I went to the doctors again and they were like, no, you’re still a daydreamer kid.”
Freeman’s mother, like any mother, was concerned and would not accept the ‘daydreamer’ label, leading to a test that confirmed what was happening.
“Apparently, I was having like 30 of these moments a day. That’s called like vacant episodes… I went on tablets until 16, came off… I didn’t have anything for like three years.
“Then the first year or so, that’s when I had this full-blown fit, and then they knew straight away… It’s definitely permanent, because of your history.”
Since that time, he has experienced no further incidents, demonstrating his ability to live and play with epilepsy, all while managing his triggers successfully.
What many might view as a barrier, Freeman has instead turned into a testament to his resilience, continuing to excel at the highest level of rugby. Simply by playing the game, he is achieving a massive win that defies the doubts many would cast on an individual living with his condition.
Freeman is also actively engaged in raising awareness outside of rugby.
For a long time, his diagnosis remained private. In British sport, there are still relatively few athletes known to have epilepsy, and awareness within the game lags behind other conditions. Freeman has begun to change that. Having worked with the charity Epilepsy Action last year, he is increasingly willing to tackle the subject head‑on.
“Definitely, I don’t think there are many people with epilepsy, or have come out and said they’ve have epilepsy. I think it is growing, and that’s something I’ve tried to do. I had it at 19, and I didn’t come out and say anything until I was 23.”
The condition, he says, is always there somewhere in his thoughts, but he does not let it affect him too much.
“I would say it affects you a little bit. Of course like, [in the] back of your mind… there’s loads of little things on the pitch as well, and you’re like, ‘oh, you’re in a bit of a staring fight, I’m going to snap out of this, I need to play rugby’… there’s loads of little things in the back of your mind that you panic about”
“When you’re doing something else, you’re just distracted, aren’t you? If it’s not happening, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Worrying about the “ifs” is not how Freeman chooses to live. As a professional rugby player, he manages his epilepsy through fundamental self-care, including managing his sleep, being cautious with alcohol, and never missing his tablets.
As he put it in his Reddit reply to fellow sufferers:
“You put it to the back of your mind and not worry about it.”
