Tributes have been paid to former Salford and Rochdale player David Fell, who last week died at the age of 55 after getting into difficulty in the sea off the Yorkshire coast.
His teenage son and daughter were taken to hospital for treatment after the incident close to Reighton Gap, around four miles South of Filey, on Thursday.
The youngsters reportedly got into trouble in the sea after getting caught in a rip tide and their father is understood to have jumped into the sea to try to rescue them.
It’s believed members of the public managed to pull the two teenagers to safety, but their father was dragged further out to sea.
He was pulled from the water by a lifeboat and was taken to waiting paramedics, but he could not be saved.
Salford tweeted: “The club are saddened to hear of the passing of former centre David Fell.
“Heritage number 866, he made his debut for us on November 12, 1989 against Leeds.
“We send our condolences to his family and friends.”
Fell, from Wigan, joined Salford in October 1989 after playing rugby union for Orrell and Lancashire.
He made 73 appearances and scored 29 tries, one of them in the 1990/91 Lancashire Cup final against Widnes, who won 24-18 at Central Park, Wigan. Salford were Second Division champions that season.
Fell joined Rochdale in January 1994 and made 62 appearances, with 20 tries, across two-and-a-half seasons.
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