A 16-year-old high school quarterback died on Saturday, a day after suffering a critical brain injury during his school’s season opener, according to statements from the teen’s family and school.
Caden Tellier was a Grade 11 student at Morgan Academy, an independent school in Selma, Alabama. During a football game Friday night, Tellier was in possession of the ball and was tackled to the ground.
It’s believed that Tellier “suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain,” according to Alabama Independent School Association executive director Michael McClendon, who spoke to CBS News. The school is “still in the process of gathering details about the accident” and it may be “quite a while before we know more information regarding his injury,” McClendon added.
Tellier was airlifted to the University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital in critical condition after the on-field injury. He died a day later.
Tellier’s family announced his death in a Facebook post, writing that their son “has met Jesus face to face.”
“Everyone who knows Caden has known kindness, generosity and love,” the family wrote. “Lives have been touched by the way he lived and now lives will be saved through his passing.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been organized to help Tellier’s family pay off medical bills and funeral expenses. The page revealed that Tellier was a registered organ donor.
“Caden is best known for his kindness, generosity and love. True to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time to save the lives of others through the donation of his organs,” the page reads.
The campaign has raised over US$78,000 as of Monday morning.
“His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him,” the page continues.
Tellier’s school also paid tribute to the teen in a Facebook post, writing that he was a “shining light every day he graced the halls of Morgan Academy.”
“There are no words to describe how we feel as a school community and family,” the statement, attributed to school headmaster Bryan Oliver, reads. “Caden will never be forgotten for who he was and what he means to Morgan Academy.”
The school has suspended all activities for the week to give students and staff time to grieve, according to a statement from the Alabama Independent School Association.
Tellier played both football and baseball for Morgan Academy, Fox News reports. During his first year on the varsity football team, he scored seven touchdowns and clinched four interceptions in just eight games. In baseball, he had a batting average of .311.
Tellier’s death comes less than two weeks after a 14-year-old high school student died after collapsing during football practice in New Brockton, Ala. A cause of death has not been revealed in that case but temperatures were upwards of 35 C when Semaj Wilkins collapsed.
California lawmakers recently proposed banning tackle football for children under 12 in order to reduce brain injuries as advocates call for stricter regulations on contact sports. The Concussion Legacy Foundation strongly recommends that parents delay enrolling their children in tackle football until at least the age of 14.
“Research continues to show us that the long-term effects of repetitive brain trauma from tackle football can be catastrophic,” the organization notes.
A 2021 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that youth tackle football athletes sustained 23 times more high-magnitude head impacts than flag football players during games and practices. Tackle players suffered, on average, 378 head impacts during the football season, while flag football players only suffered eight head impacts.