TOURNAMENT ORGANIZERS NOT AT FAULT IN DEATH OF RUGBY PLAYER
Department of Education reviewed death of Montague rugby player Brodie McCarthy in May
A review conducted following the death of 18-year-old rugby player Brodie McCarthy concluded that organizers of a tournament in May were not at fault.
McCarthy, a student at Montague Regional High, collapsed during a tournament match at Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside. He was taken to hospital in Moncton where he later died.
An emailed statement from the Department of Education said the procedures followed by the hosts of the 2018 David Voye Memorial rugby tournament were in compliance with the P.E.I. School
Athletic Association policies and procedures, as well as P.E.I. K-12 physical education safety guidelines.
The review, which was conducted by the Department of Education, the Public Schools Branch (PSB) and the P.E.I. School Athletic Association (PEISAA), also determined that proper procedures were followed following the collision on the field.
Having met necessary hosting requirements, the tournament was sanctioned by the PEISAA.
The requirements included “training and certification of coaches and officials, field preparation and requirements, staff supervision for the safety of athletes and spectators on all fields, including First Aid training for athletic injuries, awareness of emergency procedures and contact information for medical services in the area.”
Dave Gillis, acting director of PSB, said there are athletics programs throughout the branch’s 56 schools and each sport has its own set of safety guidelines that need to be in place and be followed.
“Everything did check out in that regard from our perspective,” he told The Guardian Thursday. “There was nothing that we found at all that would lead to anything by way of negligence.”
The New Brunswick coroner’s office is still conducting a separate investigation into McCarthy’s death.