Former Manly Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers star Josh Aloiai was a part of the coaching staff for Run Nation Championship, a competition where two athletes run straight at each other, consequently resulting in head injuries to participants.
However, he went to his Instagram on Saturday to display his concern with the competition, saying he regrets getting involved as a coach and felt like he let his athletes down.
"After coaching at RNC last night, that's not something I could ever be involved in again," Aloiai said in the video.
"I could not do that again, it feels like you're just preparing dudes to go and get their heads knocked off, get brain bleeds, and tap them on the back and squirt water on their face."
The competition has come under scrutiny for its dangerous methods, and Aloiai admits he is most disappointed in himself for not originally trusting his gut feeling.
"I'm the first one to blame, I should have listened to my gut, I should not have got involved at all," he said.
"But I did, and now I regret it".
Aloiai made it known that he isn't blaming any of the other coaches, nor the people behind the scenes of the event, but it is a personal decision that didn't sit right with him, saying it isn't a reflection of their actions as to why he is stepping down.
"Man, they've (RNC coaches) done everything in their power to try and prep the boys so that they could get out there and just hit clean, and get out kind of unscathed," he added.
It was a moment where he saw both contestants unconscious, and that is when he knew he had to leave the coaching space.
"There were these moments, where I was holding these dudes that had just gotten knocked clean out, and they're snoring in front of a whole stadium of people yelling," he said.
"And I'm like, 'What the heck am I doing here?' Now that I'm in the coaching space, you actually really have to care about your athletes, and I couldn't throw my athlete into that arena and be confident that they're going to be okay".
Aloiai also extended his respects to the other athletes, where he commended them for their courageous acts of competing in the event.
"They're the toughest dudes, they are the most courageous," he said.
"Their superpower has to be courage and toughness, 'cause to get out there and do that, man, they're insane."
Aloiai believes the event should not be continued, as there are too many factors contributing to the risks of head injury that could occur.
"With this concept, it's impossible. There's just no way you can set the rules safe enough for these things not to happen," the former forward said.
“If you're running with the ball and you've got a 135kg guy off the ground, airborne pretty much, flying his shoulder at you, and they get it wrong but this much, it's either your chest or your chin, and you're just flipping the coin every time.
“If you're on the other end and someone raises their elbow, you're getting knocked out."
