The world has lost “a great man and a good friend”, Kevin Sinfield said as he paid tribute to Rob Burrow following his death aged 41.
Sinfield described his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate as a “beacon of hope and inspiration” since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in December 2019. He died four and a half years later from motor neurone disease.
Together, Sinfield and Burrow raised millions of dollars for charity in a campaign aimed at raising awareness and funding research. “Today is a day I wish would never come,” Sinfield wrote on social media. The world has lost a great man and a good friend. You fought so bravely to the end and became a beacon of hope and inspiration, not only to the MND community, but to all who see and hear your story.
“My love and thoughts go to your beautiful family, Lindsay, Macy, Maya and Jackson, your parents Jeff and Erin, sisters Joanne and Claire and your wider family and friends. You will continue to inspire every day Me. I have lost a dear friend and I will never forget the special times we spent together on and off the court.
“I will always say that you are the toughest player I have ever played with, however, since your diagnosis, you have been the strongest, bravest person I have ever met. Over the past four and a half years, you have shown The world shows what life and love can look like, and it’s all with the brightest smile on your face. I will miss you, my little friend, with all my love, Kev.
It is estimated that Sinfield has raised more than £8 million since launching a series of grueling funding challenges in 2020. Last December he ran seven ultramarathons in seven cities in seven days, crossing the finish line in the London Mall after completing a 27-mile route in Leeds, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin and Brighton. . The target was to raise £777,777, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association confirmed the total was exceeded through online and other donations.
Another former Leeds team-mate Jamie Jones-Buchanan said he was committed to ensuring Burrow’s legacy lives on. “As we reflected on our lives, I first met him at the Royal Armories, where the historical exhibits were on display, and we asked what lessons those exhibits had taught us… and what lessons had we learned from them, Rob was His drive to keep going,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“I just looked at his plaque [at Headingley] I have been on this journey from December 15, 2019, when I first heard the news, until June 2, 2024.It charges me every day, and not just me, all of us who wear that dress [Leeds] badge.
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“He’s above and beyond everyone in rugby league, the north of England and the whole of England and we [will] Remember what he did and why he did it, and make sure this is his legacy, a life lived to the fullest.
At Burrow’s request, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rob Burrow MND Center at Seacroft Hospital will go ahead as planned on Monday.
