Rugby player, 15, 'is going to die'

[J pold]

On Wednesday, Manny, a Grade 10 student at Lorne Park Secondary School, was playing on his school's rugby team against neighbouring Erindale Secondary School. During the last play of the game, an Erindale student became entangled with Manny and threw him to the ground. Manny landed headfirst. He was rushed to hospital with severe head injuries, and was not expected to survive

The Erindale student, a 16-year-old rugby and hockey player who friends say was destined for the NHL, has been charged with aggravated assault.

Having played Rugby before this story hits closer to home…it’s a brutal game at times and I am honestly surprised that this stuff doesn’t happen for often, but what I don’t understand is how they can charge the other kid, of course I didn’t witness the incident so it could have been a planned attack but in the heat of a game your emotions often get the best of you, all and all I hope the kids ok but I don’t see the need to ruin the life of the other boy as well

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ional/Ontario/

[J pold]

Whoops! Wrong forum…mods move if you could thanks in advance

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I agree, this is a huge tragedy, but if the injury happened because the boy was thrown to the ground awkwardly in a fight, I can't see why they should charge the other boy as this stuff happened in Rugby all the time. If the boy pile-drove his head into the ground using a DDT move, it might be different. We'll have to see what comes to light in this story...

[MarchHare]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...-castillo.html

Witnesses say a rival player picked Castillo up in the final seconds of the game, and drove him head first into the ground. Peel Region police say the incident happened in an area outside regular game play.

Emphasis mine.

At the risk of hyperbole, and having not seen a video of the incident (if one even exists), that description makes it sound somewhat like Bertuzzi's hit on Moore; that is, it wasn't an accident that occurred as part of the regular rough-and-tumble game of rugby but rather a deliberate attack away from the play.

FWIW, the family of the victim does not want to see the other play charged criminally.

Castillo's family has called the incident a "freak accident" and urged police Thursday to drop the charges, saying it's enough that one family has been devastated.

"They were not playing volleyball. They were not playing checkers," the boy's uncle, Hector Castillo, told the Toronto Star. "We truly believe it was a freak accident …. I know that [Manny] would not want anything to happen to this kid."

Police, however, say the altercation went beyond a regular rugby brawl. They are still investigating the incident and may upgrade the charge to manslaughter since Castillo has died.

[RedHot25]

Since the player has now died (via your link, March), I wonder whether or not the family view changes? The police are apparently charging the other player, but the family doesn't want anything done (at least last I heard). Its an interesting - and quite tragic - situation.

[Locke]

Thats rough. I played Rugby as a kid, in league play and through High School and into University and I know what can happen on the field, its not a game for the weak at heart. Its brutal. I'll likely never play again after getting my rotating cuff essentially shredded.

But to Die? I want to say I hope this works out for the best, but I dont know what that outcome would have to be. Its one of those 'hope for the best' type of situations, because in my experience I understand that I have no idea what could be considered a 'positive' outcome. The Kid's got his passport stamped. It doesnt get any worse than that.

Locke.

[Prototype]

If it happened outside of regular gameplay, there's room for this to be a criminal situation. There's an unwritten code that what happens on the field/ice/etc can only be policed on the field/ice/etc. But if it happened outside of a play or after the game, I don't see how they could use this defence.

[Slava]

I played rugby for years (great sport and not as violent as the average non-player thinks!). I guess I assumed this this was like a late hit out of bounds or something similar. In that case its probably dirty, but kind of "expected"....I know that I was the victim of some dirty shots when I played. (I know that some of you now understand my thoughts in other threads!).

I guess my point is that neither party would think that things would go this way; one player never expected/understood death as a risk and the other certainly never intended to kill his opponent! I don't think that charges should be laid. Its a tragedy to say the least.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Prottotype

If it happened outside of regular gameplay, there's room for this to be a criminal situation. There's an unwritten code that what happens on the field/ice/etc can only be policed on the field/ice/etc. But if it happened outside of a play or after the game, I don't see how they could use this defence.

From what I gathered it did happen on the field, started in the play but the scuffle still carried on after the play has moved to another part of the field.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by Incinerator

From what I gathered it did happen on the field, started in the play but the scuffle still carried on after the play has moved to another part of the field.

Then it wasn't a part of the play, and last time I checked, fighting isn't an accepted altercation in rugby. That's not to say it doesn't happen, but it's not like Hockey.

Unfortunate for both parties, but from what I've read here, and I'm no legal expert, believe me, I don't think the 'NHLer to be' has a good future ahead of him. That's just my opinion.

Then again, the Bertuzzi incident didn't take place within the play of the game, and look what happened there.

Crazy stuff none the less.