In an interview set to air tonight on 60 Minutes, NRL star Alex McKinnon speaks out about the devastating on-field injury that left him fighting for his life, and the darkest moments in the months that followed.
Last year, the then-22-year-old McKinnon was playing for the Newcastle Knights when he suffered two fractured vertebrae after a dangerous tackle by the Melbourne Storm‘s Jordan McLean drove him into the ground.
In tonight’s 60 Minutes interview, McKinnon opens up about the time he spent in hospital, coming to terms with the possibility of life as a quadriplegic while battling a case of pneumonia.
Ahead of tonight’s program, interviewer Liz Hayes told news.com.au about the struggles McKinnon faced in the early days of his recovery:
“There was a point where they thought he would die … It is not an uncommon scenario when you can’t cough or clear your lungs. That’s the sort of problem he faced. In those early days he just felt like he couldn’t go on. It was a pretty confronting moment, especially for his mother. He very much said it to his mother, that he wanted to end it, really. He was fairly up front that he’d had enough. He was incredibly unwell so his feeling was, ‘Just let me go.’”
McKinnon pulled through with the support of friends and family, and tonight’s interview touches on how he learned to love football again, as well as the challenges he knows he’ll face in the future.
“Alex McKinnon has this big face with a great smile and it’s still there and I think viewers will go away with a real feeling of pride at how far he’s come,” Hayes said of the program.
Earlier this year, it was reported that McKinnon is considering legal action against the Melbourne Storm and the NRL. 60 Minutes airs tonight at 8.30pm on Nine.
via news.com.au
Photo: Tony Feder via Getty Images
Photo: Tony Feder via Getty Images
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