Say what you will about David Kidwell of the NRL‘s South Sydney Rabbitohs, but never say he won’t suffer anything to protect his daughter…

Hulking South Sydney Rabbitohs forward David Kidwell suffered a bizarre season-ending injury on Sunday when he tripped over his two-year-old daughter.

Kidwell sustained suspected torn knee ligaments after falling awkwardly as he tried to avoid crushing his daughter during a game at an Easter barbecue.

“Playing 10 years of first grade and no knee problems and something like this happens at home,” Kidwell told Australian Associated Press on Monday. “That’s definitely my season. I’m pretty shattered.”

In about 14 years, when boys come calling to date his daughter, Kidwell will tell them all this story about how he gave his knee, and quite probably his career, to protect his daughter, and if that boy tries anything untoward — insert cracking knuckles here — there will be hell to pay. Oh, yes.

In the bigger picture, though, this has nothing to do with Kidwell, and everything to do with Russell Crowe. You will recall that Crowe, a co-owner of the Rabbitohs, fired the cheerleading squad earlier this year, claiming that they were making fans uncomfortable. Clearly, this is karma coming back to shoot Crowe in the ass. Kidwell and his daughter were just caught in the crossfire. Sad, really.

(Spotted on This Suit is Not Black.)