16-year-old US high school quarterback dies of brain injury on the field – National
A 16-year-old high school quarterback died Saturday, a day after suffering a severe brain injury during his school’s season-opening game, according to statements from the teenager’s family and school.
Caden Tellier was an 11th-grader at Morgan Academy, a private school in Selma, Alabama. During a Friday night football game, Tellier had possession of the ball and was tackled to the ground.
Tellier is believed to have “suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain,” Michael McClendon, executive director of the Alabama Independent School Association, told CBS News. The school is “still gathering details about the accident” and it “may be quite some time before we learn more about his injury,” McClendon added.
Tellier was flown by helicopter to the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham in critical condition after his injury on the field. He died a day later.
Tellier’s family announced his death in a Facebook post, writing that their son had “met Jesus face to face.”
“Everyone who knew Caden experienced kindness, generosity and love,” the family wrote. “His way of life touched many lives and now, through his passing, lives will be saved.”
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help Tellier’s family pay medical bills and funeral expenses. The page revealed that Tellier was registered as an organ donor.
“Caden is best known for his kindness, generosity and love. True to his nature, he is giving of himself once again to save the lives of others by donating his organs,” the site says.
Get daily national news
Receive the most important news and headlines from politics, business and current events in your inbox once a day.
As of Monday morning, the campaign had raised over $78,000.
“His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him,” the page continues.
Tellier’s school also paid tribute to the teenager in a Facebook post, writing that he was “a shining light every day he graced the halls of Morgan Academy.”
“There are no words to describe how we feel as a school community and family,” said the statement, attributed to principal Bryan Oliver. “Caden will never be forgotten for who he was and what he means to Morgan Academy.”
According to a statement from the Alabama Independent School Association, the school has suspended all activities for the week to give students and staff time to grieve.
Tellier played both football and baseball for Morgan Academy, Fox News reports. In his freshman year on the college football team, he threw seven touchdowns and four interceptions in just eight games. In baseball, he had a batting average of .311.
Tellier’s death came less than two weeks after a 14-year-old high school student died after collapsing during a football practice in New Brockton, Alabama. The cause of death in that case has not been determined, but temperatures were above 95 degrees Fahrenheit when Semaj Wilkins collapsed.
California lawmakers recently proposed banning tackle football for children under 12 to prevent brain injuries, as advocates call for stricter regulations on contact sports. The Concussion Legacy Foundation strongly recommends that parents do not enroll their children in tackle football until they are 14 years old.
“Research shows us again and again that the long-term effects of repeated brain trauma from tackle football can be catastrophic,” the organization states.
A 2021 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that young tackle football players suffered 23 times more severe head impacts during games and practices than flag football players. Tackle players suffered an average of 378 head impacts during football season, while flag football players suffered only eight head impacts.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
