Football player dies from head injury sustained during practice at a West Virginia middle school

MADISON, W.Va. (AP) — A 13-year-old football player in West Virginia died over the weekend after suffering a head injury during practice, his father said.

Madison Middle School defensive end Cohen Craddock was injured in a tackle on Friday. The eighth-grader suffered a brain hemorrhage and swelling and was taken to a hospital, where he died on Saturday, Ryan Craddock told news outlets.

After the collision, Cohen Craddock got up, walked a few steps and then lost consciousness. His oxygen levels were low in the ambulance, his father said.

“You wish it was a bad dream that you could wake up from,” said Ryan Craddock.

In a statement, Boone County Schools Superintendent Matthew Riggs said counseling and other support services would be offered to Madison Middle School students, faculty and staff this week.

Shann Elkins, principal of Madison Middle School, said Cohen was “a wonderful, polite and smart young man who was an important part of our school family.”

Ryan Craddock said he would work to ensure that other players are provided with softshell helmet covers, known as Guardian Caps.

“I'm willing to take the loss of my boy to protect the other boys,” he said. “I don't want anyone else to have to go through what we're going through.”

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