The recent news of the passing of Caden Tellier, a 16-year-old high school quarterback from John T. Morgan Academy in Selma, Alabama, has not only been a tragedy for the family, but it has once again drawn attention to the safety of high school sports and of football in general.
Last Friday, August 23, Caden suffered a brain injury during a game. The incident occurred during a tackle—a routine play in the game of football—yet it had life-altering consequences. Caden’s injury and subsequent death have raised questions about the safety measures in place and the protocols followed during such critical moments.
On the same day Tellier’s death was confirmed, some 115 miles southeast of Selma, Semaj Wilkins’ funeral was being held. The 14-year-old died after having a medical emergency during a practice at New Brockton High School.
Tellier, a star athlete who led his team in touchdowns and rushing yards last year, ran for a touchdown in the first half of Friday night’s game, but he went down with an injury in the third quarter, according to the Selma Times-Journal. An ambulance was brought onto the field to take the quarterback to the hospital. Two days later, he passed away.
Semaj collapsed on a 96-degree day during an afternoon practice. His mother, Regina Johnson-Adams, said that when officials called her, “I panicked. I grabbed everything I could think of and ran out,” she told local news outlet WDHN. “And I got to that field, and I was devastated because they wouldn’t let me get to my baby.”
An emergency team took Wilkins to Medical Center Enterprise, less than 10 miles away. But he didn’t make it. He was mourned at a remembrance ceremony one week before the New Brockton football season began.
The two young lives tragically cut short in the pursuit of personal excellence, underline the perils of school contact sports.
The investigations are ongoing, but the hazards of football and the long-lasting consequences of the many injuries sustained in its practice, both among student athletes and professionals, has long been a topic of debate and controversy.
