Former Scotland captain Jason White believes rugby stars can be "viewed as commodities" by clubs. It follows claims that more support is needed to protect mental wellbeing.
"All the clubs I played at, the players are viewed as a commodity," White said. "The coaches have to get them back out on the pitch."
White's former Scotland team-mate, Nick De Luca, told BBC Scotland that mental health is "not really looked after at all" by many clubs.
England's Rugby Players Association (RPA) launched a campaign in early 2017 encouraging players to confront and discuss their mental struggles.
"All the clubs I played at, the players are viewed as a commodity," White said. "The coaches have to get them back out on the pitch."
White's former Scotland team-mate, Nick De Luca, told BBC Scotland that mental health is "not really looked after at all" by many clubs.
England's Rugby Players Association (RPA) launched a campaign in early 2017 encouraging players to confront and discuss their mental struggles.
"Looking at what happens in England with the RPA, they're able to provide a lot of support to the players in England," White said. "That's probably the one thing up in Scotland with our two professional teams here - we don't have a players' association with external funding that can come in."
No Scottish players' association exists and the governing body is understood to have no plans to form one.
Former Scotland prop Peter Wright's career straddled rugby's amateur era and the onset of professionalism in 1995.
"When I was a professional for four years, I found it really boring. You worked and socialised with the same guys. You didn't have that outlet of going to a job and having a different group of friends. Since it's went professional, the way I see it is that your whole life is controlled. You're told when to do weights, when to train, when to eat, what to eat. Your whole life is taken over by conditioning coaches, medics, rugby coaches. How much autonomy do you have as a player?"
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