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Ugly footage has emerged of former NRL veteran and Kiwis representative Kevin Proctor suffering a serious head injury and apparent seizure after a collision during a “run it straight” final in Dubai.

Proctor, who played 283 NRL games and appeared 22 times for the Kiwis, took part in an exhibition match at the Runit Championship League’s controversial $200,000 Middle East event against Australian social media influencer Jordan Simi this morning, New Zealand time.

A livestream of the event shows Proctor, who is tackling, drive his right shoulder into Simi’s chest as the pair run full speed at each other.

Proctor is forced into the air from the force of the collision and falls heavily on his side before his legs start involuntarily twitching in the air and his arms go stiff. It is understood the former NRL Premiership-winning Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans second-rower suffered a concussion.

Former NRL veteran and Kiwis representative Kevin Proctor suffered a serious head injury and apparent seizure after a collision during a “run it straight” final in Dubai. Photo / Kick

Officials and one medical personnel rushed to check on the 36-year-old, who was helped on his feet and led out of Dubai venue The Agenda. He appeared dazed when standing.

Professor Patria Hume, sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, told the Herald Proctor was “immediately concussed before he hit the ground”.

“The brain damage caused seizure of the arms and legs. This was a serious head injury,” Hume said.

“We have warned of the high impact forces and risk of severe injury. This is another example of severe brain injury in this run it straight event.

“Being an elite or retired elite player does not protect them from brain damage in these high impact contacts.”

Kevin Proctor was helped to his feet and led out of Dubai venue The Agenda. He appeared dazed when standing. Photo / Kick

Proctor was sacked by NRL club Gold Coast Titans in 2023 after posting a social media video of himself vaping in a changing-room cubicle at halftime while his side was losing. He was their captain at the time, but was not playing because of an injury.

The one-off exhibition was part of Australian-based Runit Championship League’s final in Dubai. The organisation held two trial events at Trusts Arena last month, with the winners taking home $20,000 cash prizes – but the West Auckland venue pulled out of hosting the final, citing safety concerns.

It was shifted to the Middle East and held on Saturday night (local time), with eight competitors running full tilt at each other for prizes of A$200,000 ($216,000), A$50,000 ($53,000) and A$25,000 ($27,000) on offer for first, second and third. The organisation has paid for all flights and accommodation for the all finalists.

Proctor and Simi were not included in the eight-man competition for the mammoth cash prizes.

Two other competitors displaying concussion symptoms were forced to retire from the event after bone-rattling collisions.

The Herald has approached the Runit Championship League for comment on Proctor’s concussion. The organisation also posted a video of the collision on its social media platforms.

The Runit Championship League has previously said it is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of all its athletes.

“We recognise that competing at the highest level comes with physical risks, and we firmly believe that no athlete should bear the burden of those risks alone,” it said in a statement.

“Our athletes are the heart of what we do, and we stand by them – on and off the field. Their commitment to excellence is matched by our commitment to their care.”

Before the final, a group of trauma clinicians made a last-ditch plea to ban the sport, calling its continued promotion “medically indefensible and ethically unjustifiable”.

The social media trend has already led to the death of 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite in Palmerston North last month after he took part in a copycat event and suffered serious head injuries.

Chief executive of brain injury support agency Headway, Stacey Mowbray, was also dismayed at the footage of Proctor’s injury.

“Seeing Kevin Proctor’s collision was heartbreaking and deeply troubling,” Mowbray said.

“While personal choice has been cited in recent coverage and conversations, brain injury doesn’t stay personal. It ripples outward. It devastates whānau, costs people their livelihoods, and placing huge burdens on our health, mental health and justice systems. It is a lifetime of consequences.

Mowbray issued a plea to not legitimise the competition as a legitimate sport.

“Please do not call this a sport. This lacks everything that makes an activity a sport, including skill. This is simply a very effective method to deliver brain injury,” she said.

“There is clearly a need to educate the public so that when they see these hits, they see the real and often devastating consequences.

“This is not about blame. It’s about truth. Brain injury is not entertainment. It’s trauma — and the consequences are real, lasting, and often hidden.”

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.