‘Nothing to do with climate change': League player's family accuse teal MP of politicising his death
The family of a 20-year-old rugby league player who died after a Manly Sea Eagles training session have hit out at teal MP Dr Sophie Scamps after she linked his death to lethal humidity at a public forum about climate change and the environment.
Keith Titmuss died in November 2020 after collapsing in Manly's Narrabeen gym and suffering a seizure. He was rushed to hospital, where he suffered a cardiac arrest. Titmuss was set to make his NRL debut in 2021.
In May last year, the NSW Coroners Court found Titmuss' cause of death was exertional heat stroke, which came after a training session in a dojo, or wrestling gym.
Deputy state coroner Derek Lee found Titmuss was 'most likely suffering involuntary dehydration' when he began the short and intense cardio workout at the end of Manly's first field session of pre-season training, describing the session as 'more likely than not inappropriate'.
'The whole family are annoyed they are using Keithy's death for political gain,' Titmuss's mother Lafo told the Herald.
She said the family was 'quite annoyed' that Scamps 'didn't look into the cause of Keithy's death' because it had 'nothing to do with climate change'.
'If you're going to use someone's tragedy, they should take five minutes to review the findings and do some background research,' she said.
In a video posted to her own YouTube account from a 'Doctors for the Environment' forum held in February 2025, Scamps, who is a general practitioner, references a young rugby league player who 'died from heat stress'.
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