View source for AFL Player 20 Who Died On Field Struggled With Severe Concussions

The footy star who tragically died aged just 20 after a horror on-field collision in South Australia suffered two 'really bad' concussions and his parents wouldn't let him play Aussie Rules as a result, his brother has revealed.<br>Antonio Loiacono was playing for the Birdwood Football Club in 's Hills Football League on Saturday when he suffered critical injuries from a collision in the fourth quarter.<br>He was treated by specialist paramedics at Gumeracha Oval, 35km north-east of , and his heart stopped for 30 minutes.<br> <br> After being revived, he was then rushed via helicopter to the Royal Adelaide Hospital late on Saturday night, but tragically was declared brain dead at 3pm on Sunday.<br>         Jack Loiacono (pictured right with his brother Antonio) said their parents told his brother to stop playing footy after he suffered two 'really bad' concussions on the field<br>         Jack (left) has called on Aussie Rules to do more to protect players like Jack (right) from the effects of head knocks and speculated that an 'underlying issue' could have been behind his tragic death after a game on Saturday<br>His heartbroken 19-year-old younger brother Jack Loiacono said the Adelaide tradie sustained the critical injury as he went to pick up the ball in the side's game against Gumeracha.<br>It remains unclear why the 20-year-old went into cardiac arrest. <br>Now Jack has detailed Antonio's history of head knocks and called on the sport to do more to protect players from the effects of concussion. <br>'He's had a few concussions in the past,' Jack told the , adding that two of them were 'really bad' and one was 'mild'.<br>'Two or three years back he stopped playing footy because of his last head knock and our parents wouldn't let him [play] but once he was old enough he wanted to make his own decisions and went back to it.<br>'He made one of his own decisions and it backfired.<br><br>All the doctors that were there that looked after him advised him definitely not to get back into it.<br>'Everyone kind of tried to stop him.'<br>         Loiacono, pictured playing for country footy club Waikerie, was injured in a game for Birdwood at Gumeracha Oval, in the Adelaide Hills region<br>Jack explained that Antonio had never been diagnosed with a health condition as a result of the concussions, but said 'the knock he actually had was so intense it gave him cardiac arrest straight away before he hit the ground'.<br>'There must have been an underlying issue,' he said.<br>'They [the sport] need to nip it in the bud.'<br>The [https://www.purevolume.com/?s=tragedy tragedy] has had one silver lining, however: the family were told that because Antonio was an organ donor, he will save two lives, including that of a baby.<br>'Because he's an organ donor, we still have some time left with him until later tonight,' Jack said.<br>'He's saving a baby boy and a 19-year-old, so that's good news.'<br>Jack took to social media on Monday to share his anguish over the brother he called 'my other half, my best friend and the person I look up to most'.<br>         Antonio's death has one silver lining: The 20-year-old was an organ donor and he'll now save two lives, including that of a baby<br>'Words can't describe the pain we all feel, you're loved by so many.<br><br>You will always be in my heart and I'll talk to you everyday,' he wrote.<br>'Your aura was so special and would put a smile on anyone's face around him. You are the most caring, thoughtful person I've come across and  [https://vavadacasik.com/ вавада] always looked out for me.<br>'I'm so grateful for everything you've done and helped me through you're my guidance and always will be.<br>Everything I do from this day forward is for you; I love you so, so much 'Tones'.'<br>Loiacono was every bit the much-loved, effervescent 20-year-old South Australian.<br>His [https://www.paramuspost.com/search.php?query=social%20media&type=all&mode=search&results=25 social media] pages show a young man with a zest for life, and a love for travel, music, mates and, of course, footy.<br>A GoFundMe campaign has been started for Antonio's family after the tragedy.<br><br>. <br>