Football coach dies spending lockdown on computer games
A fit and healthy young football coach has died of deep vein thrombosis after spending hours during the coronavirus lockdown playing computer games.
Centre Parcs worker Louis O’Neill, 24, was furloughed in March and took to gaming with friends to while away the boredom.
His grieving father Stanley Greening, 56, warned other families of the dangers of youngsters being cooped up in their bedrooms without being active.
On social media Mr Greening wrote: ‘On 3rd June something so awful happened, the worst imaginable thing to happen to such a young man and the worst imaginable thing to happen to a parent. My son, my dear Louis, has gone.
Young football coach Louis O’Neill and father Stanley Greening
‘Not from the evil virus, but because of it. His young life, barely begun still trying to find his feet, just torn away. The devastation .. after seeing my dear boy go like that I am in a living hell.
‘This damn lockdown. After being furloughed he took to his gaming world to escape. Caught up in a virtual world he became less active, so easily done.
‘Hours fly by when absorbed by the screen. I have done it countless times myself. But no-one I mean no, ever in a million years would have predicted a blood clot. And just like that, it ripped my son away and I died inside along with him.
’24 years old. Who is warning youngsters? Who is warning anyone of any age? No one. So I am . My son will live on, I shall continue to spread this warning in his name.’
Mr Greening, from Harlington, Bedfordshire, said: ‘This terrible thing was preventable had he or we known such risks.
In an interview with BBC Three Counties Radio, Stanley, who works as an artist, said: ‘He was furloughed within a week of the lockdown. He was quite jolly and said ‘I am going to enjoy a bit of this.’
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‘Louis has always enjoyed his games. He was chatting to his friends and I think he found some comfort in that.
‘Hours would go by. I couldn’t say how long he was on the computer. There were times when I would get up in the morning and go down stairs for breakfast and he would be up and I would realise he had been up all night.