Alabama high school football player dies after injury during game

A 16-year-old high school football player in Alabama died from complications of a severe brain injury during a game on Friday night, according to several authorities.

Caden Tellier, who played quarterback for the private school Morgan Academy, was injured after a tackle during his team's game against Southern Academy in Selma, according to the school and the Alabama Independent School Association.

Morgan Academy suspended all school activities for the week and a memorial service was held for Tellier on Monday morning.

The Alabama Independent School Association said in a statement that it would provide support and resources to the school as it grieves over the tragedy, noting that Morgan Academy is a small school. It has 339 students in grades K-12, according to its website.

A GoFundMe page set up to help his family with funeral expenses and shared by the school said: “Caden is best known for his kindness, generosity and love. True to his nature, he is once again giving of himself to save the lives of others by donating his organs. His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him.”

Tellier's death is just the latest in a series of dangerous and fatal incidents involving young athletes.

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According to Scripps News Richmond, a 15-year-old high school football player from Virginia died of a heart attack on August 7 during football practice at Hopewell High School.

A 14-year-old football player in Alabama died on August 13 after collapsing during afternoon practice at New Brockton High School, The Associated Press reported.

In Maryland, a 16-year-old high school football player collapsed during practice at Franklin High School in Baltimore County on August 14. Scripps News Baltimore reported that the boy died after being taken to a local hospital.

According to Scripps News Kansas City, a 15-year-old high school football player died on August 16 after suffering a medical emergency during practice at Northwest High School in Shawnee, Kansas.

Last week, two high school football players and an assistant coach were struck by lightning during practice at Glacier High School in Montana. Scripps News Missoula reported that one of the players is still in intensive care.

According to the latest data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, there were 16 deaths among football players at all levels in 2023 – three of which were due to traumatic brain injuries during high school football games.

The same study found a total of 65 serious sports injuries for the period 2021-2022, most of which were football-related and 18.5% were due to heat.