Tele’s take: Teal Sophie Scamps goes low to score points with remarks about NRL player Keith Titmuss’ death

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So when you are a climate-obsessed teal MP everything apparently looks like the result of climate change, including the tragic death of an NRL star. Here’s the Tele’s take.

If all you have is a hammer, so the saying goes, everything looks like a nail.

And when you’re a climate-obsessed teal politician, everything apparently looks like the result of climate change - even including the tragic death of a young Manly Sea Eagles player following pre-season training five years ago.

Twenty-year-old Keith Titmuss died in 2020 due to what an expert coronial inquest subsequently determined was a case of “exertional heat stroke”.

The word “exertional” is crucial here. Titmuss’s awful passing occurred after a sub-25 degree day, with relative humidity dropping to 74 per cent by late afternoon.

Deputy state coroner Derek Lee identified numerous contributing factors to the fatal incident, including indoor gym conditions and body mass index.

Sophie Scamps, the independent MP and candidate for Mackellar at the 2025 federal election.

Keith Titmuss passed away at training on a sub-25C day. Picture: NRL Photos

But it has now come to light that teal MP Sophie Scamps tried to blame it on climate change - much to the fury and distress of Titmuss’s mother Lafo.

“I’m disappointed that she (Dr Scamps) is using my son’s name to try and gain political points when all she needed to do was read Derek Lee’s findings, which mention nothing about climate change,” Lafo said.

In February, climate activist Scamps suggested that Titmuss may have died due to “lethal humidity”

“Lethal humidity is something that the medical fraternity is getting more and more concerned about,” the member for Mackellar told an environmental event.

“Apparently, the human body can survive up to 54 degrees Celsius – it’s pretty hot.

“But, with high-level humidity, that level comes down to kind of 33, even 31 degrees, so it’s something to consider.”

Here’s something else that Sophie Scamps should consider. She should, as Lafo Titmuss advises, take time to read detailed medical reports before discussing them in public.

This especially applies, due to the understandable emotion involved, if those reports examine a young person’s untimely death.

Deputy coroner Derek Lee’s findings are available at the state coroner’s website. Scamps should still read them and learn.

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