When the media reported on Dan Vickerman’s death on Sunday, the response was immediate and overwhelming.
People were devastated.
Vickerman was 37, survived by a wife and two young sons. Countless tributes poured in for the former Wallabies player, who retired in 2012, with peers remembering him as a “much-loved character” with a “massive heart.”
But there was an undertone to the reports of Vickerman’s death, as well as the tributes. While no cause of death was reported, the presence of help-seeking information alongside the story said more than the words did.
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It is odd how we fear copycat actions in a possible suicide but have absolutely no qualms about allowing violent movies, games and reporting particulars of a suicide bombing so that it can very EASILY be copycatted and kill scores of people !! Get real
What I find very sad is that we typically boost up our sportsman to be superheroes so that when they have to live a normal life it is very hard - nigh impossible becaue they don't know how to do it.... and they don't have or experience enough compassion to hold on to life. And from what I can see in the reporting of Dan's funeral the crazy super sizing super collosus theme continues without identifying the tragedy for his wife and two sons ... the sports colossus persona is nothing compared to what has been left for these guys to deal with.
To me the beginning of this discussion is not even a debate. Wait until the coroner rules that the death is a suicide before reporting a death as such. Til then it's just horrible conjecture.