• 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite died after taking part in a private “run it straight” game with friends. 
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says his death is an “absolute tragedy”. 
• He says the Government can’t ban such online trends, but it’s a good reminder for people to take personal responsibility. 

Christopher Luxon says the death of a teenager from a “run it straight” game is a reminder for people to take “personal responsibility” around the controversial social media craze. 

Speaking to Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills, the Prime Minister said the death of Ryan Satterthwaite in Palmerston North this week was an “absolute tragedy”. 

“It’s incredibly tragic for the young person involved, for their family, for their friends. It’s a good reminder for people to take personal responsibility, for individual responsibility, to think about the activity. 

“But I’d also say to adults and sports influencers and celebrity influencers, or whatever it is driving this sort of craze, they should be thinking and reflecting very strongly right now. 

“It’s not something you can practically ban at a government level, but it’s just calling for people to exercise individual responsibility. Also, for the adults involved in all of this to think very deeply about what they’re doing.” 

Satterthwaite suffered severe head injuries after taking part in a private “run it straight” game on Sunday. 

The 19-year-old was taken to Palmerston North Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery but couldn’t be saved. His life support was turned off on Monday. 

Satterthwaite’s grieving family say his death was an “accident waiting to happen” and have urged others to stop taking part in the social media-driven trend. 

Speaking to the Herald, his uncle Peter Satterthwaite said Ryan was a “top kid” who loved his mates, enjoyed playing rugby, and “would do anything for anybody.” 

He said “run it straight” was simply a “stupid idea”. 

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“Just don’t do it. A little bit of fun has lifelong consequences.” 

Palmerston North teen, Ryan Satterthwaite died after suffering serious injuries in a "run it straight" game. 

Satterthwaite said it was “disgraceful” the events are being promoted as a sport, and is calling on the All Blacks, Warriors, and other high-profile sportspeople to publicly speak out against it. 

“People don’t listen to us, we’re just Joe Bloggs, but they [the public] idolise our sportspeople.” 

‘Run it straight’ has been touted as the world’s fiercest new combat sport and attempts to mirror the most physical collisions seen in rugby league, union and AFL matches weekly. 

The controversial trend that has found popularity on social media involves two people running directly at each other, slamming into one another. 

“Victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision”, one event promotes. 

Satterthwaite’s death comes after two ‘run it straight’ events were hosted at West Auckland’s Trusts Arena last week by Australian-based Runit Championship League - with $20,000 cash on offer for the winners. 

Of the eight competitors last Wednesday, three were forced to retire with injuries – two of whom showed signs of a concussion. That was after one of the first competitors on Monday night’s trial was knocked unconscious. 

While the new sport has amassed a significant following on social media, leading neuroscientists have consistently condemned the concept since its inception. 

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) expert Dr Helen Murray told the Herald there is clearly “a high risk of head injury in this event”. 

“From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology, and therefore finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety,” Murray said. 

“It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity and the risk of significant injury is high given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.” 

Manawatū police area commander Inspector Ross Grantham said while what happened on Sunday was “an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event”, the tragic outcome “does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity”. 

“We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risks.” 

Grantham said while it was not a criminal matter, police would continue inquiries on behalf of the Coroner.