Matt King was a promising 17 year old Rugby League player who was playing his first paid game for the London Broncos Academy. A few minutes into the match he went in to make a tackle but was hit on the back of the neck by a knee from one of his teammates. He went into a coma on the pitch and was airlifted to Stoke Mandeville Hospital where he spent the next 9 months of his life. Doctors found that he had dislocated histhird and fourth vertebrae and sustained spinal shock which meant the injury also affected his second vertebrae. Matt is now 26 years old and a quadriplegic. However, as he said in interviews, he believes what happened to him was a freak accident and that he does not hold any grudge towards Rugby League even after his accident.
Interview with Matt King where he talks about his injury.
Improvements that have been made since Matt Kings injury
The shoulder charge, a tackle where players were allowed to tackle without using their arms, has been made illegal as it was leading to a lot of neck and brain injuries. Group tackles, a tackle where several people tackle one player, are now not allowed to lift the player that is been tackled.
