A Florida high school football player collapsed on the field during a game and died Friday night, joining a string of deaths of several teenage athletes across the country.
Chance Gaynor, an 18-year-old honor student and defensive back at Port St. Joe High School in Gulf County, suddenly Dropped Liberty County athletic director and assistant principal Tim Davis said he fell to the ground during the game. Ocala Star Banner.
Gulf County Superintendent Jim Norton said Gaynor had no pulse when paramedics got to him, but they were able to restore one before he was loaded into an ambulance.
However, he was pronounced dead a short time later at Brantstown hospital.
“We received the news about an hour later that he had passed away,” said Davis, who was on the opposing team. “There were about four minutes left in the fourth quarter, so the decision was made to end the game so the Port St. Joe coaching staff could let the players know.”
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) issued a statement of condolences on Saturday.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Chance Gaynor's family, the Port St. Joe community and all those impacted during this difficult time. We are thinking of you and praying for your strength and resilience. #DoItFor2,” the sports official wrote.
The cause of death has not been announced.
“He suddenly fell to the ground,” Davis said. “The coaches treated him and called for emergency medical help a few minutes later. Once on the field, they placed him in an ambulance behind the visitors' bench. One of our school resource officers drove the ambulance to Brantstown while medical staff treated him.”
As the news was broken on the field, parents and supporters came down from the stands to console Gaynor's teammates.
“There were a lot of people crying and hugging,” Davis said. “It certainly brought clarity to everything.”
“He had world-class speed, but more importantly, he had world-class character,” Norton said of Gaynor, adding that he had a 4.0 grade-point average and aspirations to attend Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
The late senior scored a 70-yard touchdown in that game before he died.
The tragic news is death According to a report from KTLA, 16-year-old junior football player Christopher Garcia of Los Angeles died after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a game on August 23.
Garcia, a junior at Southgate High School, was injured during the tackle and taken to the hospital by ambulance.
It was the third TBI death that week, according to Dr. Chris Nowinski of the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
Semaj Wilkins, 14, of Alabama Died According to a report from NBC News, he experienced a “medical emergency” during football practice on August 13.
His grieving mother, Regena Adams, told the publication that more research was needed before safety guidelines could be developed for players.
“It's still a nightmare to me,” she said. “It's a relief to know he's gone, but it still doesn't feel real.”
Six high school football players died in August, four of the deaths believed to be related to cardiac arrest and two suspected to have been caused by contact between players, said Carisa Niehoff, CEO of the National Association of State High School Associations.
“We're going to hit, it's hard contact, but that's part of the game,” Niehoff said.
The federation creates the rules that high school sports follow.
“There's so much great energy in sport, but unfortunately with sport comes risk,” she added. “We're both blessed and heartbroken.”
