Seven football-related deaths among middle and high school students in August alone have prompted warnings from parents and others to take sports safety measures more seriously.
The seven who died include 13-year-old Cohen Craddock of West Virginia, 16-year-old Kayden Tellier of Alabama, 15-year-old Jayveon Taylor of Virginia, 14-year-old Semaj Wilkins of Alabama, 15-year-old Robert James Gillon III of Florida, 16-year-old Leslie Noble of Maryland and 15-year-old Obet Gomez Regalado of Maryland.
Their causes of death ranged from heat stroke to chest pains to head injuries.
“I call him Mr. Personality. He was a great kid and he wanted everyone to like him. He just wanted to be happy,” Cohen's father, Robert Craddock, told Fox News Digital about his son. “He loved sports, he loved hunting, he loved fishing, he was very outgoing, he was very active in his church. He was just a great kid and as a dad I couldn't be prouder of him.”
West Virginia middle school football player dies from head injury during practice
The middle and high school football players who died in August included 13-year-old Cohen Craddock of West Virginia, 16-year-old Caden Tellier of Alabama, 15-year-old Robert James Gillon III of Florida, 15-year-old Jayvion Taylor of Virginia, 15-year-old Obet Gomez Regalado of Maryland, 14-year-old Semaj Wilkins of Alabama and 16-year-old Leslie Noble of Maryland. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM/Facebook/GoFundMe/Selma Funeral Home)
Robert Craddock said Cohen was about to enter his second year as a football player when he suffered the fatal head injury during practice on Aug. 23.
“He was at football practice, a regular practice, and another kid was blocking. Cohen tripped and fell to the ground. As he fell, his head hit the ground, which caused the head injuries that ultimately led to his death,” Roberts explained, later adding that he “never dreamed” he'd be in the position he is in now.
“It's hard to comprehend,” the grieving father said.
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Cohen Craddock was about to enter his second year as a football player when he suffered a fatal head injury during practice on Aug. 23. (Handouts)
Since his son's death, Robert has made it his mission to get football teams to require players to wear the Guardian Cap, a padded helmet covering that he says doesn't change the helmet itself but adds an extra layer of protection.
“Protect your children at all costs.”
“Protect your kids at all costs,” he said when asked what advice he had for other parents whose kids play football. “Be brave, teach your coach different techniques, anything. Or buy yourself a guardian cap, do whatever you can to protect your kids.”
The same day Cohen was injured, Terrier also suffered a head injury in the third quarter of a game win against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, and died the next day.
Cayden Tellier suffered a head injury in the third quarter of the team's win against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, and died the next day. (Selma Funeral Home)
“Our son, Kaden Tellier, has met Jesus face-to-face. We thank you all for your prayers and ask for your prayers as he prepares for the difficult days ahead,” Kaden's mother, Arcela Slagel Tellier, wrote on Facebook last month. “All who knew Kaden knew his kindness, generosity and love, and true to his character, he is giving of himself again. Many lives were touched by his life and now many lives will be saved by his death. We will walk with his body over the next few days, knowing that his soul is rejoicing in heaven.”
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The deaths of seven teenagers in August “raised concerns about the safety of youth football and prompted calls for improved equipment, training and awareness of the risks posed by extreme heat,” said the Georgia-based law firm Weatherington, which provides legal assistance to families affected by such tragedies.
“These things are incredibly preventable. There are laws already in place.”
Matt Weatherington, the firm's founder and attorney, said school football “is still a lawless zone” when it comes to mandating safety measures to protect kids from life-changing or fatal injuries. He explained that coaches, and school boards and districts more broadly, are failing to ensure kids have the protections they need, even under state mandates such as the Georgia Return to Play Act, Heat Safety Guidelines and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, which are already in place in Georgia.
Matt Weatherington, an attorney and founder of a Georgia-based law firm, said school football “is still a lawless zone” when it comes to mandating safety measures to protect kids from life-changing or fatal injuries. (Steve Nurenburg/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)
“Obviously, foodball is a sacred sport in Georgia,” Weatherington said, but it's not “special” in the sense that school districts and school boards make special efforts to implement safety measures and awareness for students and parents, despite the risks associated with any contact sport.
“The school board and the state are responsible for the safety of student-athletes.”
“They have a legal obligation to ensure compliance with safety protocols such as cooling stations, emergency action plans and immediate medical response readiness. Failure to comply can lead to preventable injuries and deaths,” he added.
Marty McNair, the father of 19-year-old Jordan McNair of Randallstown, Maryland, who collapsed and died of heat stroke during football practice in 2018, is advocating for other families to prevent a similar tragedy from happening. McNair was a player at the University of Maryland at the time.
“As a father who tragically lost his son Jordan to preventable heat stroke on the football field, my heart goes out to the families who have suffered the unimaginable pain of losing a child in this recent tragedy. I know firsthand the devastation, and no parent should ever endure such a loss,” McNair told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Marty McNair, the father of 19-year-old Jordan McNair of Randallstown, Maryland, who collapsed and died of heat stroke during football practice in 2018, is advocating for other families to prevent a similar tragedy from happening. (Jordan McNair Foundation)
He added that as the fall 2024 football season gets underway, his “advice to parents is to always put the safety of their children first.”
“Be proactive and understand the safety measures in place where your child plays. Ask about hydration protocols, heat protocols and emergency action plans. Let your child know it's okay to speak up if they feel sick or unsafe on the field. Let them know that their health is far more important than any game,” he said. “At the Jordan McNair Foundation, we empower parents, athletes and coaches with the knowledge and tools to prevent tragedies like this. Losing Jordan changed my life, and our mission is to help other families avoid what happened to us. Stay involved, stay informed, and above all, make sure your children know their safety always comes first.”
The National Center for Major Sports Injury Research reported a total of 16 football-related deaths in 2023. Of those 16, nine were middle or high school students.
The National Center for Research on Serious Injuries in Sports reported that there were 16 football-related fatalities in 2023. (National Sports Injury Research Center)
In July and August over the past three academic years, there have been six football-related fatalities in 2021, three in 2022 and two in 2023, according to NCCSIR statistics.
For middle and high school students, deaths due to trauma (e.g., head injuries, spinal injuries) were four in 2019, zero in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, four in 2021, three in 2022, and two in 2023. According to the NCCSIR, deaths due to exertion (including heat stroke, cardiac arrest, sickle cell disease, etc.) among middle and high school students were nine in 2019, seven in 2020, 11 in 2021, five in 2022, and five in 2023.
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Table IV shows the number of heatstroke deaths by year, with some years having a higher number of deaths, such as five or six, but not over the past decade. July and August are naturally the months when heatstroke cases are most common, so the three cases we have seen in middle and high schools so far this year are similar to those in 2020 (4) and 2021 (3).
All 50 states have some sort of law aimed at preventing sports-related concussions, but relatively few have laws regarding heat stroke. States with laws aimed at preventing heat stroke include Florida, Texas, California, New Jersey, and North Carolina.
