Concordia Stingers quarterback calls for end to 'horrific and unjustly violent hits'
'My parents shouldn't have to ... worry about me dying on the football field,' says Trenton Miller
A Concordia University varsity football player is urging university sports regulators to address concussions and player safety after he and a teammate took hard hits in a game last Sunday, none of which resulted in penalties.
Playing against the Laval Rouge et Or last Sunday, Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller was hit from the side and knocked to the ground by defensive back Gabriel Ouellet.
[These hits] are not in the line with the spirit of the game, and frankly, they should just never happen.- Concordia Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller
"It's one of the most brutal hits of my career," Miller wrote on Facebook, where he posted a video about his experience, urging RSEQ, Quebec's student sports regulatory body, and U Sports Canada to make player safety a priority.
"My parents shouldn't have to watch my game and worry about me dying on the football field," he said in the video, which has garnered nearly 50,000 views since it was posted Tuesday.
"They shouldn't have to worry about me getting seriously injured just for choosing to play the game I most love."
Ouellet did not receive a penalty nor was he expelled from the game.
In the same game, Stingers receiver James Tyrrell went flying after he took a hit to the head, apparently in full view of the referee.
A spokesperson for the team could not say if Tyrrell had suffered a concussion but said he "is being evaluated day by day."
Miller said these "horrific and unjustly violent hits" have no place in football.
"They're not in the line with the spirit of the game, and frankly, they should just never happen."
RSEQ investigating
Following the incident, the Stingers launched a complaint that the RSEQ is now investigating. A formal decision is expected Friday.
In the meantime, the Concordia Department of Recreation and Athletics told CBC in a statement that it "cares deeply about the safety of its student-athletes" and that "the department considers the events in the Concordia Stingers-Laval Rouge et Or football game on Sept. 24, 2017 to be unacceptable."
Miller says in the video that he hopes he can help bring about change by sharing his story — not just for himself but for teammates, one of whom also took a hard hit in Sunday's game that was not penalized, opponents and the next generation of players.
"Now is the time to really take player safety seriously," he said.
"We need to do this so parents can confidently put their sons in pads and let them play this great game without worrying about harming their future."
Four-time Grey Cup winner welcomes Miller's warning
Miller's going public was applauded by former CFL player Tim Fleiszer.
The four-time Grey Cup winner now serves as executive director with the Concussion Legacy Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about about brain trauma among Canadian athletes.
"I agree with him that this is the kind of hit that we want to try and avoid going forward," Fleiszer told CBC.
Fleiszer said his organization has a new program called Team Up, Speak Up that encourages teammates to look out for each other and speak up if you think they've had a concussion.
"He's done both in this video," he said of Miller.
With files from CBC Daybreak, Jessica Rusnak and Kate McKenna