The Quebec Student Sports Federation has ruled that no rules were broken when a Concordia Stingers quarterback was hit hard in a recent game after which the player posted a Facebook video that went viral speaking out against aggressive plays and calling for more regulations to ensure player safety.
The RSEQ said in its ruling that there was no contact to Trenton Miller's head and that the tackle by opponent Gabriel Ouellet of the Université Laval's Rouge et Or was inside the established rules. The RSEQ said it was not an illegal tackle and there was no intention to injure Miller.
However the RSEQ is suspending another Rouge et Or player for a tackle on Concordia Stingers player James Tyrell during the same game September 24.
Kevin McGee was found to have used unnecessary roughness and will be suspended from this Saturday's game.
Trenton's video has since been viewed 58,000 times.
"The head to head hits like the one I received Sunday and the hits that some of my teammates received on Sunday have no place in the game of football," said Miller in his video.
"They're not in the line with the spirit of the game and frankly they should just never happen."
There was no penalty or action taken on the field after either hit to Miller or Tyrell.
"My parents shouldn't have to watch my game and worry about me dying on the football field as a result of these head to head collisions," said Miller.
Concordia University issued a statement saying it was disappointed with the ruling.
"We hope the league will examine its policy for protecting players against such aggressive hits and consider a model in line with that of the NCAA," said the statement.
"We agree with athletes like Trenton and the scores of others who have spoken out saying it is time for a national conversation about the rules of the game and the place of excessive violence in sport."
Concordia also issued an initial statement on behalf of Miller who will address the media later this afternoon:
"I just want to thank all the people who have reached out to me over the past week and thanked me for my video about player safety and bringing it to the forefront of conversation. Regardless of the outcome of the decision today by the RSEQ I would like to thank them for really taking seriously the issues at hand and committing to improving our great game of football in Quebec. I think with continued dialogue and research on what regulations are most successful at helping prevent head to head collision and concussions overall, will be a really giant step forward for the state of university football. With better rules and regulations this conference will continue to be the gold standard in Canadian university football."