Caden Tellier: High school football player from Alabama dies after head injury

CNN
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An Alabama community is mourning the death of a high school quarterback who suffered a brain injury during the school's season-opening game Friday night, according to statements from school officials and the teen's family.

Caden Tellier was hospitalized in critical condition after suffering a head injury during John T. Morgan Academy's game against Southern Academy in Selma, officials said Friday. His death was announced the next day.

Tellier was 16, CNN affiliate WSFA reported. School principal Bryan Oliver confirmed that Tellier was an organ donor, AL.com reported.

“Our boy Caden Tellier has come to know Jesus face to face,” Tellier's parents said in a statement Saturday. “Everyone who knows Caden has experienced kindness, generosity and love, and true to his nature, he gives of himself once again.”

“His way of life touched many lives and his death will now save lives,” his parents said in a statement.

“We may not know the full story for a while, but initial reports indicate Caden likely suffered a brain hematoma after being tackled and hitting the ground during a routine play,” Michael McLendon, executive director of the Alabama Independent School Association, said in a statement to CNN.

School officials are still gathering details of the incident, McLendon said, and it may be “quite some time before we have more information about the injury and the incident overall,” he added.

Those in the crowd who watched the game “probably didn’t notice anything unusual,” he said.

According to experts, deaths at football matches are rare at all levels of play.

In 2023, there were 16 deaths among football players, including seven among high school players, according to data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research.

Among those deaths, three were due to traumatic brain injuries – two in high school football and one in youth league football. All three occurred during games. The remaining deaths in 2023 were classified as exertional or medical, including deaths from heat stroke, sudden cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism.

Oliver called Tellier a shining light who graced the halls of his private school. “He was a student, a friend, an athlete and most importantly, a follower of Christ. There are no words to describe how we feel as a school community and family,” Oliver said in a statement posted on social media.

A church service will be scheduled soon, the Tellier family said. The Morgan Academy administration has suspended all school activities for this week, according to the school district.

As of Monday morning, a Go Fund Me campaign to cover the family's medical and other expenses had raised more than $76,000.

CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.