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Miracle as Injured GAA player Mark McGovern wakes up from coma

Irish footballer has been unconscious for five weeks after tragic head injury

JORDANA KOZUPSKY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, August 4, 2011, 7:13 AM

Updated Thursday, August 4, 2011, 9:55 AM

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Police name suspect in on-field attack of San Francisco GAA player

In a development little short of a miracle Mark McGovern, the GAA footballer who has been in a coma after being kicked in the head during a match over a month ago in San Francisco, has finally woken up.

His sister Grace posted on her Facebook that Mark is awake and fully conscious of his surrounding, according to the Irish Times. She also wrote that "Mark is yet to talk but has been trying to lip words in order to communicate with us, Mark has attempted a few steps with assistance.”

“From being told Mark may not make it through the first night to beating a liver condition, pneumonia and MRSA alongside his brain injury, he has fought everything that has been put in front of him,” she added.

Since the accident in San Francisco, Mark has been in California in a coma. His family - parents, sisters, and uncle - has all been there with him.

Mark has now been removed to a rehab center where doctors believe he will continue to make great strides

Mark was injured during his first GAA game in America. He’d come to San Francisco just a week prior to the incident with the intention of staying for the summer with two Belcoo teammates, Emmet Scollan and Ciarán Flaherty. Both teammates were playing in the game that Mark was hurt in.
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Read more:

San Francisco police investigate violent incident

Father of injured GAA player Mark McGovern speaks out

Stricken GAA player was told 'you won't get up after that'
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After being kicked in the head, two witnesses reported that an opposing player stood over and told an unconscious Mark, “You won’t get up from that,” implying a planned attack. Although there were close to 50 people at the game, only a few people have come forward with statement, the Irish Times reported.

Police know the identity of the other player, but have not yet interviewed him.

Earlier this week, Mark’s father, Danny McGovern, spoke with the Belfast Telegraph and said, "It's been the worst month ever in our lives. The doctors have told us it's going to be a rollercoaster. There will be good days and bad days. He has been showing signs he might be able to recover but then you just don't know what's going to happen next."

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Liamkeyes | Aug 06, 2011, 11:52 AM EDT

There is no place in Gaelic Football for that sort of Conduct. My well placed informants tell me that it was deliberate and premeditated. The offenders should be prosectuted to the full extent of the law. Just because somebody puts on a Sports Shirt does not automatically exclude them from blame in a incident like this one., It pains me to see that a lot of people that saw the incident will not come forward. "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in a great moral crisis maintain their neutrality. I don't know how they can live with themselves.

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AOBoyle | Aug 05, 2011, 11:14 AM EDT

In your article you refer to the incident as an ACCIDENT. To me, a deliberate kick to the head would not fall under the category of ACCIDENT.

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colkelley | Aug 04, 2011, 11:04 AM EDT

If it can be proven with relative certainty that the injury was the result of an intentional effort the opposing player(s) deemed to be suspected of the attack/injury should be brought to trial for felony assault or attempted murder. The practice of exempting from legal repercussions attacks which take place in the context of sporting events needs to stop. These attacks are common in soccer and my son's concussions and post-injury surgeries while playing soccer up to the Olympic Development level are proof to me. Even with videotaped evidence of intentional attacks obviously intended to cause severe injury (a running elbow spear to the temple) law enforcement will not act on attacks in the context of a sporting event.

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sweetgirl | Aug 04, 2011, 10:05 AM EDT

Dear Ms. Kozupsky, as a journalist, you should be aware of the danger in lifting stories from other sources without attribution, like say Erin Sherbert's column "The Snitch" on the blog SF Weekly . First, it is an ethical violation of journalistic standards; second, if the source you take info or "facts" from without attribution is WRONG (as in this case, where Ms. Sherbert mistakenly claims McGovern was injured from being "kicked in the head"), then you must take the fall for their error as opposed to attributing the story to the source you "lifted" it from. Then, the source is wrong and you only quoted them.

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