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Police Commissioner Richard Chamber is holding a standup after a “confusing” retail crime memo and the death of a teen in a ‘run it straight’ game.

The teen died after suffering a serious head injury during a private tackle game in Palmerston North.

Chamber’s standup is due to start at 4.30pm.

Manawatū police area commander Inspector Ross Grantham said the 19-year-old man was critically injured while playing an impromptu tackle game with friends on Sunday afternoon.

“The man suffered a serious head injury when tackled, and was taken to hospital by his friends. Tragically, he passed away in hospital on Monday night,” Grantham said.

A source has confirmed to the Herald the victim was Ryan Satterthwaite. Other online tributes have also named Satterthwaite.

“Rest easy brother Ryan Satterthwaite,” one person commented.

Another said: “So sorry to hear this, especially for the beautiful family I know going through this tragic event”.

A staff member at Mainfreight Palmerston North, where it’s understood Satterthwaite worked, said they had no comment on the matter.

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

Grantham said the tackle game played by the group of friends was based on the viral “social media-driven trend” ‘run it straight’ - which has been extensively criticised by leading neuroscientists recently.

He said it involved participants competing in full-contact collisions without protective gear.

“While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this 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.

‘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.

It involves a runner and a tackler running full speed at each other on a 20m x 4m “battlefield” designed for “maximum action and non-stop intensity”.

“Victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision.”

It has exploded on social media, gaining a mass following over the past month.

The 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 for the winners.

Of the eight competitors on 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.

Of the eight competitors on Wednesday, three were forced to retire with injuries – two of whom showed signs of a concussion. Photo / Mike Scott

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.”

Last week, Professor Patria Hume, sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, called the sport “a step backwards” in athlete safety.

Hume called it a “reckless and dangerous spectacle” that contradicts decades of scientific evidence on head injury risks in contact sport.

“We’ve spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports. This event ignores all of that.”

Today, Hume said, “It is very clear from the number of concussions from the small number of ‘running at each other events’ that have occurred, that this is going to result in death”.

“Unfortunately takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities,” she said.

“This was a backyard copycat of the RunIt events. Ryan’s death was preventable. We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone.”

The Herald has approached Runit Championship League for comment on the incident.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers sport and breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.