-Credit: (Image: talkSPORT)
Rugby World Cup winner Ben Cohen has revealed he sold his winner’s medal during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cohen was part of the iconic England team of 2003, who were kicked to everlasting glory through the boot of Johnny Wilkinson against Australia.
Speaking on a recent edition of talkSPORT on Jim White and Simon Jordan’s show, Cohen explained the toll that the pandemic had on him financially. Appearing alongside him for the episode was fellow World Cup champion Phil Vickery.
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He had previously stated that he’d swap his winner’s medal for a degree, and reading out a fan’s question to Cohen, White said: “You might want to swap it, but we don’t want you to.”
“I don’t want him to either!,” exclaimed Vickery.
“No,” said Cohen. “I sold it. I sold my World Cup medal to survive COVID. To survive.”
“Did you know that?” asked White to Vickery, as the Englishman became emotional, wiping his eyes.
“No, I didn’t know that, no,” answered Vickery.
“I had to survive,” Cohen explained. “I had nothing in COVID. It doesn’t give you a living. Winning a World Cup medal is great, to leave your kids a story, and we can talk about it. But it’s great that it gives other people that uplift, that moment. The reality is, I’ve got no work. What is my work? I’ll try and create and I’ll try and do things. And it’s not that I’m lazy.”
Cohen spearheaded the inception of The Champions 2003 campaign, which aims to support rugby players into their transition into normal life. It was kickstarted in November 2023, exactly 20 years after England won the World Cup.
“Me now – it’s about paying it forward,” he added. “How do I help my mates out? After that 20th anniversary, how do I pay it forward? OK, it’s my brainchild and I’ve got everyone involved, but it’s about creating a legacy. It’s about helping my mates out. Ultimately I don’t want people to go on the same path who have been in professional sport, where not all sport pays a huge amount of money. In fact, 99% of sport pay a goldfish in a balloon, that’s the reality.
“When you drive in civvy street, where do you go? You can open doors, but you are completely transparent. I’m just being honest, people have their own opinion.”
Cohen went on to further detail just how bad the COVID pandemic was for him.
“It affected so many people, he said. “You shut down the world and the bills carry on, the policies carry on and they continue to get interest. Where do you turn to? The Government wasn’t there to help. Your mortgage carries on, your second mortgage carries on, then they’re going to come after your house.
“That for me has been horrendous to try and pay that off. I came close to losing my house, I paid a fortune over and above what my initial policy was. But I wouldn’t be the only one in it.”
Vickery added: “This is a classic example of blokes, not necessarily in a team environment, not showing weakness.”