MADISON, West Virginia – Cohen Craddock was the baby of the family, a gregarious 13-year-old who “cared more about others than himself,” said his father, Ryan Craddock.

“He was very compassionate, very generous and always wanted to make you laugh, make you feel better and lift people’s spirits,” Craddock told CNN.

But Cohen’s family in West Virginia must now suffer without him. The teenager died on Saturday after a collision during football practice on Friday. He was at least the third football player to die in the first weeks of this school year.

Their deaths highlight the risks of America’s most popular sport as the country begins Labor Day weekend and football season.

Cohen’s fatal injury occurred the same day that a 16-year-old Alabama football player was fatally injured in his school’s season opener. Caden Tellier, the quarterback at John T. Morgan Academy in Selma, suffered a brain injury Friday night, Michael McLendon, executive director of the Alabama Independent School Association, said in a statement to CNN. His death was announced Saturday.

Caden’s family has decided to donate the teenager’s organs, his mother wrote on Facebook.

“Caden is still fighting hard in his earthly body as he prepares for this final act of generosity to give new life to others,” Arsella Slagel Tellier posted on Tuesday.

“We continue to pray for those whose lives will be forever changed by his gifts.”

And another Alabama teenager, Semaj Wilkins, died on Aug. 13 after suffering a medical emergency during football practice at New Brockton High School, Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham told CNN on Wednesday. The football practice lasted only “10 or 15 minutes,” Woodham said.

“Semaj was a young man who brought joy and inspiration to his classmates, teammates, coaches and teachers,” the Coffee County School System said. “His loss is deeply regretted by all who knew him.”

Across the country, 16 young football players — from the youth league to the college level — died in 2023, according to data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. At least 13 of those deaths were directly or indirectly related to football participation, two of the deaths were unrelated to football or exertion, and the cause of the last death while participating in football was not immediately known.

Three of the deaths were due to traumatic brain injuries – two in high school football and one in youth league football – and all three occurred during a game. Other causes of death included heat stroke, sudden cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism.

A grieving father on a mission

Cohen, an eighth-grader at Madison Middle School, first fell in love with tennis before turning to football. But the affable teenager enjoyed the social aspect of team sports and became a football player, just like his father and big brother.

He was also active in his church’s youth group and dreamed of becoming an engineer, his father said. That dream was shattered on Friday by a tragic accident during soccer practice, his father said.

“From what I understand, he was playing defense in practice and the guys collided,” Craddock said. “Cohen fell to the ground and hit his head, which caused his brain to swell” and start bleeding, the father said.

“On the way to the hospital, he suffered aspiration, then oxygen deprivation, which led to brain death. His brain died, his body was basically unable to regulate itself, and he died.”

After paramedics took Cohen to a hospital, the teenager succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, the Boone County Ambulance Authority said, according to CNN affiliate WSAZ.

Craddock said the family is awaiting Cohen’s autopsy report, and in the meantime, he is on a mission to improve safety in youth football.

In Cohen’s memory, Craddock said he would like to see football students wear helmets with an additional soft-shell coating.

“I think if my son had worn something like that, the outcome would have been completely different,” Craddock said. “The helmets aren’t modified. It’s just something that’s attached directly to them. So why not just have that extra layer of protection?”

While some people scoff at the idea of ​​additional protection, “Which image would you rather have – someone seeing you lying in a coffin or you wearing something to protect your body?” Craddock said.

A study of middle school football players showed that a combination of helmet coverings and safer tackling techniques reduced head impacts.

But when examining the effectiveness of helmet covers alone, laboratory studies show that the soft-shelled caps can reduce acceleration and force during simulated impacts. But in real-world studies with college football players using them on the field, the helmet covers have shown no benefit.

What we can learn from a 13-year-old

Even on Cohen’s worst days, “he wanted to make sure you were OK. He wanted to make sure other people were happy,” his father said.

Cohen’s death has had a profound impact on his school, where he was “loved by his classmates, his teachers, his administration and the entire Madison Middle School staff,” Boone County Schools said in a statement.

“As far as mental health services go, we have additional counselors at Madison Middle School,” Principal Matthew Riggs told CNN. “Students just need to let a staff member know they want to speak to someone.”

Craddock said the best way to honor Cohen is to live like him.

“I want them to do what he did for so many others – try to make people happy and love each other,” the father said.

“Cohen is his hugger. He likes to hug everybody. So, reach out your arms. Hug your kids. Kids, hug your parents. Just make somebody feel loved and happy.”

CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Melissa Alonso, Amy Simonson, Emily Smith and Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.

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