Alex McKinnon - Quadriplegic after dangerous tackle

[ruggabee]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/quadriplegic-alex-mckinnon-faces-the-fight-of-his-life-20140331-35u3y.html

Rugby is a game we all love but with such a physically demanding sport comes great risks to the players involved. Unfortunately, Alex McKinnon, a Newcastle Knights player, has been dealt a career ending and severely life changing blow after being diagnosed with quadriplegia due to a dangerous tackle. There is still hope that he may recover with rehab although it will be a difficult process. I've never heard of him but it's still gut wrenching to hear something like this happening to such a young individual. Thoughts are with him and I hope he gets back to a point where he can live a normal life.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

For anyone who hasn't seen the clip, McKinnon's reaction when lying on the ground and realizing he can't move is horrifying (I wouldn't recommend anyone search for the clip). In one instant, a freak accident has changed his life forever. Best of luck to him and as ruggabee says, hopefully he can recover to live a normal life.

Jordan McLean, one of the three players who tackled McKinnon, has copped a 7 week ban. Would he have received a ban if McKinnon didn't get injured? The tackle is question was tough but seemed relatively normal. It seemed to be to be just extremely unfortunate that the tackled players' head got trapped.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Tragic news. Really feel for the guy, puts the game into perspective.


On a side note, I can't imagine the guilt the tacklers are going through.

 

[SelimNiai]

Tragic news. Really feel for the guy, puts the game into perspective.


On a side note, I can't imagine the guilt the tacklers are going through.

Very real guilt. I used to play with a guy who, in a match made a tackle which was perfectly legal and by the book but due to the pitch having a part that was slightly lower than the rest and the extra travel led to the tackled player breaking his collarbone and neck. Despite our and the opponents coaches, the ref and the family of the tackled player reassuring him he was not to blame for the incident he couldnt get past it and refused to play again.

 

[Jaguares]

OMG! Is he very famous in League? Sorry, I don't know much about NRL. In Argentina League isn't popular like in SA.

Cheers

 

[goodNumber10]

For anyone who hasn't seen the clip, McKinnon's reaction when lying on the ground and realizing he can't move is horrifying (I wouldn't recommend anyone search for the clip). In one instant, a freak accident has changed his life forever. Best of luck to him and as ruggabee says, hopefully he can recover to live a normal life.

Jordan McLean, one of the three players who tackled McKinnon, has copped a 7 week ban. Would he have received a ban if McKinnon didn't get injured? The tackle is question was tough but seemed relatively normal. It seemed to be to be just extremely unfortunate that the tackled players' head got trapped.

I haven't searched it out, but they said the points for the tip tackle is 365, and the other 400 points is taking into the account the severity fo the injury... so in theory he would have got banned anyway.

Terrible and tragic event... thoughts go out.

 

[ratsapprentice]

It's a very serious neck injury which is highly likely to be severely debilitating.

BUT - he has not been confirmed as being quadriplegic - that is media speculation.
At this stage there is a possibility of some degree of rehabilitation and recovery of ability.

 

[Saints1]

Terrible, terrible news. So sad.

However I wouldn't call it a "dangerous tackle." It was a freak accident. That type of tackle happens week in and week out and the regrettable fact is that McKinnon was literally dropped on his head. It was a perfect storm because of the angle of the tackle and the angle of his head. Totally, completely accidental. And a seven game ban is a result of the injury, not the tackle itself which was innocuous to say the least.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

My uncle was left a quadriplegic after a work accident. His injury was very similar to Alex McKinnon in that he fractured C4 and C5 vertebrae without severing the spinal cord. My uncle never walked again but I was there to witness the amount of life long rehabilitation and care required for him to get through the day. I feel really sad for Alex and his family, his life has changed forever and I do hope he makes a full recovery.

 

[LittleGuy]

Very similar to the Ivory Coast player that was left paralyzed in the 1995 RWC from what was a fairly innocuous incident. Prayers and best wishes to McKinnon in his recovery, there are many amazing advancements in medical technologies literally every day, don't give up hope Alex!!!!

 

[nickdnz]

Very tragic and I wish the best for Alex McKinnon.

While some say it was a freak accident - three people lifting a player and driving him to the ground (the weight of the three of them is undoubtably what did it) - one lifting the leg, was always goiung to end badly. He tucked his head in, which is why the neck broke, but if he rotated this head the other way it would have been just as terrible. Even if he managed to get his arm out I think that's a broken collarbone. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but 7 weeksI'm sure would be light in rugby union. I can't agree it was a freak accident, I think it's something which was bound to happen sooner or later - as many have mentioned the employment of wrestling coaches doesn't help, - employing techniques which are dangerous on a mat, to be used on a grass field by three people was always going to end badly. I don't think there was any intention at all by the players to seriously injure Alex, but to rule it as a freak accident is poppycock in my opinion.

 

[SimonG]

The tackle was nothing like what the two NZ fellas did to O"Driscoll..thank Christ he was swift of mind to adjust his body as he was being driven to the ground by using his arm as a shield so that his collarbone took the break and not his neck.

When the two fellas weren't banned it gave out a nasty message at the time that Rugby is a backward activity with no rules. Although following ridicule of the sport there have been subsequent rules that mean such an action will mean punishment, I don't think the deterrent is severe enough. As regards League I don't think the problem is anywhere near an issue as it is in Union hence they haven't had to deal with it. Alex McKinnon was unfortunate in that he tucked his neck in which looked to have exacerbated the tackle on him. The good news is the spinal cord is not severed so whatever damage will likely be incomplete, so the scope for improved movement will be there for at least 12 months.

 

[ratsapprentice]

For those interested: http://www.irbplayerwelfare.com/pdfs/CI_Risk_Assessment_EN.pdf

 

[SimonG]

^ not sure of the relevance of that report given the lack of data of catastrophic injuries in RU (in conclusion).

The worst ive come across was Stuart Mangan (his story is on YouTube)..I believe it was a C2 (as bad as you can get) meaning he required permanent ventilation. He passed away in August 09 about 18 months after his injury.

 

[smartcooky]

There is a reason why RU want to remove tip-tackles, and now perhaps some of those on this forum, and in other media, who have been complaining that the game is "going soft" will realise what is at stake. Unfortunately some of the elite referees are bottling it (Chris Pollock last night should have at least yellow carded a Rebels player for a tip tackle. Instead he just penalised him with a warning. NOT good enough Chris!! Also, I see that Kurt Baker has been cited for a tip tackle. Did the whole "team of four" miss that?

If it was down to me, I would ban lifting of opponents altogether; you lift an opponent up off his feet, its a penalty. I'm not talking about when a tackler takes the ball carrier off his feet due to the tackle, I'm talking about the stationary grasp, hold and lift sequence.

I sometimes wonder how different Vincent Clerc's life would be now had he been rotated just a few degrees further.

 

[William18]

There is a reason why RU want to remove tip-tackles, and now perhaps some of those on this forum, and in other media, who have been complaining that the game is "going soft" will realise what is at stake. Unfortunately some of the elite referees are bottling it (Chris Pollock last night should have at least yellow carded a Rebels player for a tip tackle. Instead he just penalised him with a warning. NOT good enough Chris!! Also, I see that Kurt Baker has been cited for a tip tackle. Did the whole "team of four" miss that?

If it was down to me, I would ban lifting of opponents altogether; you lift an opponent up off his feet, its a penalty. I'm not talking about when a tackler takes the ball carrier off his feet due to the tackle, I'm talking about the stationary grasp, hold and lift sequence.

I sometimes wonder how different Vincent Clerc's life would be now had he been rotated just a few degrees further.

I thought it was fantastic from Chris Pollock. It's about time we have referees who don't think the game is all about him and let it flow. The yellow card experiment has been a massive failure. Does anyone have any evidence anywhere that more yellow cards actually lead to less penalties? All yellow cards have done is hand an unreasonable amount of power to the referees and have clearly not acted as a detterent for foul play due to continual high penalty counts. Let's get the referees out of the game. I'm now preferring the NRL's method of dealing with foul play which places a clear emphasis on not disrupting the flow of the game and tries to prevent the referees from having undue influence. It's funny that rugby continually looks at its rules and out to make the game better but never looks at the excessive influence referees have on the game. Instead of fiddling with the scrums why not just tell the referees it isn't all about them?

I don't think I'm even going to bother expressing my disgust at the NRL's decision. The NRL explicitly stated that that tackle would have only received 3 weeks but gave an extra 4 weeks for the injury to McKinnon. Ridiculous when Inu only got 5 weeks last year. It's clear I'm in the complete minority here. Outlawing lifting just seems terrible to me, lifting can happen by mistake and isn't inherently dangerous. The NRL outlawed the shoulder charge last year because some shoulders to the head were dangerous. Well why ban all shoulder charges because some were dangerous? Why not just punish the dangerous ones?

I think from reading opinions here and the way society is going it is very clear. Rugby union simply won't be allowed to be played in 100 years time. I'm sure there will be some form of public entertainment but it won't be anything recognisable to the game I love today.

 

[nickdnz]

I don't think I'm even going to bother expressing my disgust at the NRL's decision. The NRL explicitly stated that that tackle would have only received 3 weeks but gave an extra 4 weeks for the injury to McKinnon. Ridiculous when Inu only got 5 weeks last year. It's clear I'm in the complete minority here. Outlawing lifting just seems terrible to me, lifting can happen by mistake and isn't inherently dangerous. The NRL outlawed the shoulder charge last year because some shoulders to the head were dangerous. Well why ban all shoulder charges because some were dangerous? Why not just punish the dangerous ones?

I think from reading opinions here and the way society is going it is very clear. Rugby union simply won't be allowed to be played in 100 years time. I'm sure there will be some form of public entertainment but it won't be anything recognisable to the game I love today.

I'm sure McKinnon - while he's trying to learn to walk again, or wipe his own ass - will really be feeling 7 weeks of not playing rugby is a grave injustice. You're right, had the tackle not left a man paralized - it would have been lighter. Someone who drink drives and runs someone over - also recieves a higher fine than if no one gets run over.

It's BS to say the game is getting lighter. Athletes are getting bigger and stronger - but their vertebrae aren't. It's fine being a fan and saying allow sholder charges and tip tackles, you don't have to worry not being able to walk, or getting alzheimers at 50. Getting a few weeks on the sidelines isn't justice for the harm they can do. If someone broke my neck on the street, it's 5 or so years in jail. Sport maybe an institution where there is inherant risk and we accept it when we play it - but I don't think it's too much to ask that athletes well being are looked out for.

Again to use another corny analogy, why ban sholder charges and not just punish the dangerous ones. It's like the equivelant of giving everyone a gun to shoot in the air, and then punishing people when they accidentally shoot someone. No, just don't give people guns to shoot in the air. There isn't a good reason for it and the potential risk far outweighs the reward.

 

[SimonG]

If it was down to me, I would ban lifting of opponents altogether; you lift an opponent up off his feet, its a penalty. I'm not talking about when a tackler takes the ball carrier off his feet due to the tackle, I'm talking about the stationary grasp, hold and lift sequence.

I sometimes wonder how different Vincent Clerc's life would be now had he been rotated just a few degrees further.

Agree that lifting as you described should result in an instant penalty. I'd have straight red. It would soon become second nature for players not to even attempt it. The scrum is always a worry so what they will do there to address the dangers I do not know. Another is the line out..so often jumpers are pulled and they have a huge drop. Think that Aussie fella Nathan Sharpe had a very close call on one occasion (might have been in the 2003 RWC). The breakdown is another area of concern (Stuart Mangan incurred his injury by going in head first as his teammate had just been tackled).

Regarding that Clerc incident, yes it was a straight red and the Welsh whinging over the ref was pretty disgraceful (no doubt had Clerc not adjusted his body and been severely injured there wouldn't have been a peep), however I did have some sympathy with Warburton as it was clearly unintentional. The momentum of Clerc running into him as he was tackled caused Warburton to lift him...as soon as this happened Warburton realised his error as he let go of Clerc which meant there wasn't a severe landing. The incident was in sharp contrast to the assault by the two NZ players lifting a stationary O'Driscoll up the the air turning him and driving him into the ground. Seeing the speed and angle of how he was driven into the ground it is a miracle that O'Driscoll managed to adjust his body so quick to avoid the neck taking the brunt of the impact. Rugby doest itself no favours when it effectively condones criminal activity.

 

[nickdnz]

Regarding that Clerc incident, yes it was a straight red and the Welsh whinging over the ref was pretty disgraceful (no doubt had Clerc not adjusted his body and been severely injured there wouldn't have been a peep), however I did have some sympathy with Warburton as it was clearly unintentional. The momentum of Clerc running into him as he was tackled caused Warburton to lift him...as soon as this happened Warburton realised his error as he let go of Clerc which meant there wasn't a severe landing. The incident was in sharp contrast to the assault by the two NZ players lifting a stationary O'Driscoll up the the air turning him and driving him into the ground. Seeing the speed and angle of how he was driven into the ground it is a miracle that O'Driscoll managed to adjust his body so quick to avoid the neck taking the brunt of the impact. Rugby doest itself no favours when it effectively condones criminal activity.

Lol.

Plus O'Driscoll is Irish, so was obviously more of a victim.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Watching Rabbitohs vs Dragons and there have been a couple of times where a 2nd/3rd tackler has lifted a leg and the crowd and commentator reactions have been genuine in their disdain.

This is positive - hopefully the penny has dropped.