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Jamaican football coach Neville Bell has recalled an emotional experience involving the death of a young player named Dominic and the lasting effect it had on one of his teammates.
Speaking on the No NDA Podcast, Bell said the incident remains with him years later and reinforced his belief that young athletes often carry emotional burdens adults may not immediately recognise.
Bell recalled attending a service after Dominic’s death and noticing that one goalkeeper could not stop crying.
After taking the youngster outside to speak privately, Bell said the player revealed that he was distressed because he had never told Dominic that he loved him.
According to Bell, the goalkeeper explained that the day before Dominic died, Dominic had seen him sitting on a wall at school and told him to go to class. The youngster had responded angrily, only for Dominic to die the following day.
Bell said he tried to reassure the grieving player that Dominic would have known he was loved.
The experience left a lasting impression on Bell, who said he continues to think about Dominic years later.
He said situations like these demonstrate why coaches and other adults working with young people must recognise that their responsibilities can extend far beyond sport.
