Former Australian international player, Daniel Vickerman, passed away two days ago at his home at the tender age of 37. No foul play suspected and the mainstream press have displayed a lot of decorum by not even speculating about the cause of death. Unfortunately, in fact, he ended his life.
Dan, was a big and tough man, and his stats while playing read 204 cm (6 foot 8) and 119 kg (262 pounds). His playing position was specialist lock. He was born in South Africa and represented that nation's junior international team, before moving to Australia and this time represented Australia's junior international team. Within two years, he represented Australia in 2003 at the prestigious World Cup tournament (which is held only once every four years). As a rare feat, he went on to play in another two World Cups, the last one as recently as 2011.
Dan's playing style was tough and uncompromising, and at his best, he was arguably the last truly world class tight forward that Australia has had in recent years.
Here's the problem - Dan was an overachiever, to the extent that he even planned for his post-retirement life right in the middle of his career. By the age of 32 he had 63 appearances for the Australian rugby team and a rare 3 world cup appearances, and a degree from Cambridge University, which he obtained whilst still a professional player. He quit rugby during his prime years to study at the world-famous varsity, and made a successful return to the game, before quitting once again due to a persistent injury.
What has caused a lot of shock is that from the outside, he was a role model and achiever, with a wife and two young children and instead of fading into obscurity or even poverty like some, he stayed involved with the sport from a distance while working in the corporate sector, including a stint with international auditing giant, KPMG.
http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2017/02/20/da...st-before/