Former National Rugby League player and Queensland State of Origin coach Paul Green passed away at his home on Thursday morning. He was 49 years old. Read on to know what happened to Paul Green, how did he die, and the cause of his sudden death.
Green carved his name into the National Rugby League history when he coached the Cowboys to a maiden NRL premiership in 2015 under incredible circumstances.
His friends, family members, and the rugby league community are left shocked and devastated upon his untimely demise. Everyone is remembering the guy as a legend and soft-hearted person who made times feel good while he was around.
How did Paul Green Die?
Paul Green died at his Brisbane home in the morning on Thursday, August 11, 2022. The Green family has released a statement announcing his untimely demise in the afternoon. The statement reads:
“We have lost a devoted husband, loving father, and wonderful brother and son.”
“We cannot find the words that would come close to expressing our feelings, however, we would like to extend our thanks to those who have reached out to us with their love and support.”
“Paul was loved by so many and we know that this news will generate immense interest, however at this time we ask for privacy. Our family is still trying to understand this tragedy and we request space and time as we come to terms with this loss. Thank you.”
What was the cause of Paul Green’s death?
Paul Green died by suicide. It has been confirmed that he took his own life.
A Queensland police spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a Wynnum residence just after 10 am this morning after a 49-year-old was located unresponsive.”
“He was declared deceased by emergency crews a short time later. There are no suspicious circumstances. A report will be prepared for the coroner,” she added.
Green’s friends are left shocked by the tragic news. They revealed that Green was in perfect health and up to date with health checks before his death. The former rugby league coach had flown down to Sydney just last weekend for the Cronulla Sharks reunion.
Paul Green had a Successful Rugby League Career as a Player & Coach
Paul Gregory Green was born on September 12, 1972, in Brisbane, Queensland. He was an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Queensland in the State of Origin series.
Green played in the rugby league in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for Cronulla-Sutherland, North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels, and the Brisbane Broncos. Green won the Rothmans Medal in 1995.
The highlight of Green’s coaching career came when he guided the North Queensland club Cowboys to their first premiership in 2015. Green was seen cheering louder than anyone else at the packed ANZ stadium in Sydney as Feldt scored in the winning moment.
Green left the Cowboys in 2020. He was appointed coach of the Maroons in 2021 but lost that year’s series to NSW 2-1.
He quit his role at the end of the series and Billy Slater replaced him. He was set to make his comeback to coaching on Wayne Bennett’s staff in the Dolphin’s inaugural season next year.
Tributes Continue to Pour for Paul Green
Ever since the news of Paul Green’s sudden demise emerged, social media is full of fans, friends, and the rugby league community paying tributes to the gone legend.
Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsay paid tribute to Green’s glorious work with the club and the impact he left. “Paul first came to our club as a player in the late 90s and was the club’s first Origin representative, but his lasting legacy emanated from his seven-season tenure as head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys,” said Ramsay.
“Paul’s arrival as head coach transformed our club from finals contenders to an immediate premiership force, culminating in the historic 2015 Grand Final victory,” he added.
“We will forever remember Paul as one of the greatest contributors in Cowboys history,” he concluded.
Playmaker Michael Morgan who announced his retirement from rugby league last year shared an emotional tribute to Green on Queensland radio. He said the following:
“He was more than influential, he helped me carve out the career that I did have,” Morgan said on The Rush Hour with Leisel, Liam and Dobbo.”
“It’s no coincidence once he took over that he gave me an opportunity at fullback, it’s a position I’d never played in before and taught me, and I said it throughout my career when he unfortunately moved on from the Cowboys, how much he taught me about the game.”
“You grow up playing it, you think you know everything but he just opened up a whole new world to the actual knowledge of the game for me.”
“Never been able to thank him enough.”
Green’s former teammate at Cronulla, Martin Lang, also paid tribute to his friend on Twitter.
“This is so sad. Paul was a close mate, we moved to Sydney together in 1993 … the beginning of an outstanding NRL playing/coaching career.
“My sincere condolences to Paul’s wife, children and his dear mum and dad.
“Rest In Peace mate,” his tweet reads.
Paul Green is survived by his wife Amanda and children Emerson and Jed. Our heart goes out to his family in these tough times. May God let the departed soul rest in peace and grant strength to his family.
this article originally posted on Bareilly College.org
It’s a shame, and another thing we don’t need in this unprecedented number of unfortunate events. My brother also took his own life 11 years ago. Not being an expert in this field, I guess these people get to a stage where there is no other option , chemical in brain also plays a role I believe, they’re are otherwise very intelligent people usually .the psychology and psychiatric community still have no answer to this ongoing sadly illness.
Sorry for your loss. It is still usual for someone who may have displayed no mental health symptoms in half a decade to suicide. Suicide is most often completed by people who continue to have their functionality impaired with chronic mental health symptoms. Paul Green was able to pull off being highly functional and certainly didn’t fit the norm. Everyone has problems and certain expectations of themselves and others. Whatever his demons were, he rathered take his life than expose them or talk about them. If there were any clues his family has a right to keep them private, as he appears to have been an exceptional private man despite his public persona.
I agree. My wife committed suicide with overdose, she died in my arms. Before she died she said it was the only way she could stop her suffering.
She was a self employed Solicitor.
“I have been there done that”!
My feelings of hopelessness and rejection was the main reason for the decision I took to end my life. I credit my denial for my attempt to my spiritual belief. Leading up to the day, unable to to talk about it openly pushed me over the “cliff”. Then out of the blue came my “guardian angel”, he was nowhere near me at the time of the incident. The rest is history. The message was very clear to me, my life on earth was more important there was “work” already allocated to me, “power” from above. That was 50 years ago.
If anyone notice a difference in behaviour of your mate, listen, question, refer or direct your mate in the right direction don’t turn your head and ignore your mate ! You are not interfering in your mates personal life. If you are a true mate you must act!! I survived because someone cared enough about for me
It’s a shame he was good at what he did and likeable and they should look into his position as he must have had a lot of stress with what he was doing to win and doesn’t what people say you can not notice it until it’s to late all we can do is support his family and if you notice someone looks like they are not them self or always in deep though all the time say something to them ask are they ok and be a friend to them . I have done this to save a guy 5 minutes before he through himself under a train. Anyway I hope he didn’t suffer and he rest in peace
We as a Society know how to celebrate the wins…….unfortunately our Society has very little knowledge on how to keep our high achievers mentally strong through adversity.
The Passing of Paul Green is beyond a tragedy and we need to gather ourselves and select individuals to run a health programme for any and all of our Sports People……and beyond.
We must not allow Paul’s passing to be forgotten or eroded by time.
We could launch a programme say, GREEN is Healthy, ORANGE is Warning and RED is Dangerous……NRL suicide Watch Squad……(something like that?)
Talk it out to work it out, Move forward
very sad
rip legend
Whilst I can’t imagine the angst suffered by Mr Green, I can say how unkind I personally find our society.
Our NSW parliamentarians are unaccountable and inaccessible. Clearly NSW leadership is inept – that’s my personal experience.
Homelessness and harassment are daily agonies.
Let’s LISTEN to each other.
Let’s be KIND to each other
Let’s stop blaming alcohol, Covid…
Let’s just be KIND & RESPECTFUL to humans & humanity.
Parliamentarians need training on how to be respectful? I think not. They need to be accountable!
Recognise many of us are not strong- emotionally, financially, … but we are all doing our best 🙏🤦♀️
Help, not hurt 😞
Well said Em! I wish your message of kindness could flash into the consciousness of every one of us before we reach for our keyboards to make an emotional post. Peace,
Beautifully expressed Em.
I also feel too many are too connected to social media instead of personally connecting.
My mother took her own life 55 years ago when there wasn’t enough support available as there is now. While one manages it, and life goes on, it stays with people forever.
We must always have hope and faith.
Take care.
Why?
You had everything that’s been taken away from me.
We were both thinking the same thing at the same time.
I don’t really know you personally, however, I cried for your kids and you and your wife.
This has given me further conflict and incomprehension.
I think I understand and maybe you had more courage than me. I don’t know.
I’m angry and sad.
Surely someone knew.
I reached out twice in an oblique way to two people who don’t know me that well yesterday. I only mentioned suicide to one in a roundabout way. But it’s something that I’ve thought about for a long time.
I tried mental health plans. They were a joke. They were dangerous. And of course the wait is terrible due to COVID and floods etc. I actually thought I could do a better job myself. And maybe I still will.
The one thing, if anyone is reading this, that gets me through the blackest of moments is to try and imagine my children at my funeral ( should they attend) and I can’t go through with it. A long time ago I was told if I did go through with it ( certain people) win. That pissed me off too.
I’m not criticising you Paul. It’s just the usual question. Why? And how could no one have known your pain? Maybe you’re strength and pride had something to do with it. I read about James Freud and boy did he try his best.
We’re not all the men we want to be.
Please please keep that thought in your head of your children at your funeral. Let that image haunt the shit out of you. Those moments you think they wont care. Please i beg you to know that it will break their hearts forever. They will never heal from it. You are loved more than you realise. And there will be a day you will feel better, i promise.
If you are thinking like that, you haven’t found a real friend, I don’t know you but I think you must a very sensible human being, in thinking about your children at “your funeral” that will be horrible, I don’t know your age, I’m 77 and the happiest man on earth with the birth of my last granddaughter, today she’s 8 months old, think about those things, I offer you my unconditional friendship, regards and keep fighting.
Hi Conrad
I’m Cassandra
I read what you wrote.
Sounds like life has its ups and downs for you.
You’ve done really well so far to live everyday you’ve had.
Yes. You would scare your kids if you hurt yourself. They would feel like you’d hurt them at the same time.
Don’t think any more on it.
Just be. Conrad you are here.
Take care. And when you feel like your in a dark place. Know that it’s a feeling and that feeling will move on.
Take care.
From me to you.
Please read or listen to the CD of Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh. It changed my life! Take care!
It’s a tragedy as it’s the ones left behind will suffer. Imagine his son every year when his birthday comes around. Suicide also increases the risk on the families left behind.
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Has the conversation even started about the amount of football players, generally retired, that have neurological issues. If people cannot be bothered reading the copious amounts easily accessible they can watch a movie, made with Will Smith ‘Concussion’ a true life to life film on the studies made by a doctor that began treatments for players in USA. Still to this day these issues or brain damage are ignored or even worse blamed on other issues. Australia needs to wake up concussion of any kind can change the course of any person’s life let alone these people that are concussed regularly. Whether this is the direct cause or not I have no doubt that early repeated concussions contributes to any health problems that load onto someone that considers let alone completes self annihilation.
Been having dark thoughts myself lately… not good, but inescapable 😒
Happy to lend an ear if you need. Plenty of places you can call anonymously if you went too.
Bullying and harassment by others can have a devastating effect on the victim.
I was diagnosed as deeply depressed and suicidal for five long years and cursed god for letting me wake up every day. But there’s always tomorrow and U never know what that’s going to bring. For me it brought the love of my life to me. So there’s always tomorrow