The mother of a football player who suffered a traumatic head injury is advocating for safer play so that another family doesn’t have to go through a similar experience. Hunter Gronick, a punter for the Balgonie Greenall Griffins, collapsed during a game on Sept. 10. It was later discovered that he had suffered a brain bleed that required surgery and a piece of his brain to be removed. His mother Sabrina said Hunter has been in the hospital since the incident, and said doctors have told her that Hunter’s recovery will be lengthy. “He’s not the same guy that he was, I like to say that will come with time. It’s tiny movements that he’s making, but at the same time they’re all positive so that’s good,” she said. “He’s not communicating to us in a way that is consistent yet. But every day there’s a tiny bit more, kind of thing. So, I mean, it gives us that glimmer of hope. But like the doctor said, it’s going to be an extremely long road to recovery.” Hunter’s sister Emily has started a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Hunter’s medical expenses. The family has also started raising money for Hunter’s Headstrong Initiative, which promotes safer play and aims to see Saskatchewan high school football players with new helmets. Sabrina told CTV News they are also looking to introduce more guardian caps, which further protect against head injuries, across the football landscape in Saskatchewan. “I believe we have what we need now. I can’t be sure, I’m not that part of the committee or whatever, but yeah, it’s looking like we have permission to do it and now it’s just a matter of getting funds together,” she said. In a statement, the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) said Hunter’s Headstrong initiative is a fantastic endeavour, providing awareness and funding to an important facet of tackle football. “Safety is a priority for SHSAA, and while our schools comply with current safety standards, any enhancement that can be achieved towards the protection of our student-athletes is a cause that we support,” the statement read. Gronick said the outpouring of support in the weeks since the incident from both the community and the football team has been overwhelming. “It’s been a godsend at this point. I can’t thank the community enough for all of the efforts and everything that they have done through the GoFundMe apps, through parents giving us meals, through individual donations,” she said. “The football team have been truly amazing. And the one thing that I’ve always encouraged them to do in honour of Hunter is Hunter was very, very much a camaraderie type person. So, he wanted to see the whole community gather around for these important events. And so, to me, it’s still important to do that.” The GoFundMe has received nearly $55,000 to date.
