NRL premiership winner Kevin Proctor knocked out as controversial ‘Run It Straight' craze continues

7NEWS

4 hours ago

NRL premiership winner Kevin Proctor has been knocked out in a 'Run It Straight' competition in Dubai.
The controversial viral craze received heavy backlash last month when a New Zealand teenager died during an impromptu version of the game.
Watch the video above: NRL premiership winner knocked out as controversial craze continues.
But the Runit Championship League has continued with $200,000 in prize money on offer.
The latest event took place over the weekend, with Proctor on the wrong end of his clash with influencer Jordan Simi.
Medical personnel rushed to help the 36-year-old.
Proctor won the 2012 grand final with the Melbourne Storm and played for the Gold Coast Titans in a lengthy NRL career, which ended when he was caught vaping at half-time of a game while sidelined.
The long-time New Zealand international later joined Wakefield in the English Super League.
The 'Run It Straight' trend also appeared on the hill at Brookvale Oval during a Manly Sea Eagles NRL game.
Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov said anyone found to have been involved would be banned.
Dr Alan Pearce, who has worked with NRL players on concussions, said he was 'speechless'.
'I'm pretty appalled by what we're seeing and I'm really concerned about the health of the people undertaking this activity,' he told Sunrise.
'There's no medical attention nearby if something happened.'
Pearce said it was made worse by the apparent levels of intoxication.
'Beer and head injuries do not mix,' he said.
'This is what we're seeing now and this is something we've been concerned about surrounding the Run It events.
'Things like this will be happening everywhere now and they're not checked properly. That's the concern.'
While some of those filmed participating at the NRL game appeared to be grown men, Pearce said he fears for kids and even young adults involved in the trend.
'The damage to a young brain is potentially profound and catastrophic,' he said.
'With young people, kids up to the age of 20, there's a risk of what we call 'second impact syndrome'.
'Even though you might get a hit to the head and not necessarily think that there's anything going on, having a second hit to the head in a rapid time period after — it might be a few minutes, it could be 15 minutes — could be potentially life-threatening.
'This is something we are really worried about.'
Other experts have also slammed the trend.
Injury prevention expert Professor Patria Hume called the trend a 'reckless and dangerous spectacle' and 'a step backwards' in sport safety.
'We've spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports,' she said.
'This event ignores all of that.'
In response to the death of New Zealand teenager Ryan Satterthwaite, Runit Championship League said the sport 'should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support'.
'All RUNIT events follow established protocols including screening of participants for suitability, strict guidelines around where and how to tackle (between the shoulders and hips only), with qualified medical support and medical assessments conducted both during and after competition,' the competition said.
'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions outlined above in sanctioned RUNIT events.'