David Luiz injury: bereaved father’s despair over lack of action

Ben Robinson, 14, collapsed towards the end of a Schools’ Cup rugby match in January 2011. The Carrickfergus Grammar pupil had been allowed to carry on playing despite having been treated on the pitch for the effects of heavy tackles. The coroner at a 2013 inquest hearing found that Ben had died from “second impact syndrome”. As a result of Ben’s death, his parents have campaigned relentlessly to raise awareness of the dangers and to have sports governing bodies implement adequate safeguards. Following Arsenal’s decision on Sunday – to allow defender David Luiz to play on against Wolves after a violent clash of heads which left Raul Jimenez with a fractured skull – Peter Robinson has questioned whether any lessons have been learned. On Monday morning, Mr Robinson used Twitter to highlight his concerns, and to encourage top football pundits to speak out. In a tweet linked to an interview he gave to the New York Times in 2015, Mr Robinson said it was time for football “to step up”. Referencing the headline ‘How a Boy’s Concussion Death Changed British Sports,’ he said: “Did it really? Nearly 10 years on. Some sports have listened, learnt and adapted. Time for Football to step up @alanshearer @chris_sutton73”. In a newspaper interview last year, Mr Robinson said: “I will know Ben did not die in vain if I never hear a player being asked if they want to carry on after a head injury.” Ben Robinson was playing against Dalriada when the injuries occurred. Father Peter told the inquest hearing he was concerned at the lack of intervention having watched amateur video footage of his son, on his feet but holding his head, following a series of bruising tackles. “He was hunched, he was not his normal body position, you could see that,” he told the coroner. Commenting on the David Luiz incident on Match of The Day 2 football highlights show, pundit Alan Shearer said: “Football needs to get real. It needs to wake up... now. “We are talking life and death here.” Luiz failed to reappear for the second half of the Wolves matach. During a post-match interview, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his player had passed the concussion protocols allowing him to play on, but was substituted because of the persistent bleeding. A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Alistair Bushe Editor