VAIL, Az. (KGUN) — An Alabama community is mourning the death of a 16-year-old football player. Quarterback, Caden Tellier, died after a head injury during the school's first game of the season.
Now, high schools in Tucson are sharing what they are doing to keep players safe.
“It just depends on how you get hit; you know a helmet can only do so much," Mica Mountain Athletic Trainer Felix Blanco said.
Head injuries in football is all too common.
“10 to 15 diagnosed concussions," Blanco said.
That’s how many concussions Blanco has seen each season in his 23 years on the job.
“It’s sad that it’s something that happens all the time," Blanco said.
While head injuries in football players that lead to death are rare, it can happen. According to the National Center For Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, in the past two years there have been 27 deaths among football players across all levels.
15 of those deaths were high school players and six of those deaths were caused by traumatic brain injuries.
“I think most schools have emergency action plans and policies in place to keep that from happening," Blanco said.
For Mica Mountain policies start on the field, with tackling, in a safe but effective way.
“Last week before our first scrimmage, we sat everyone down and went over expectations," Blanco said. "See what you hit and don’t lead with your head. The coaches make a point of calling me over when it’s our first day of tackling to tell them ‘here’s how we’re going to do it.’”
However, accidents still happen. So, with football season starting up, it's important to play as safely as possible.
——
Erin Patterson is a reporter for KGUN 9. She's agraduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s in News Media with a Sports Concentration. Erin recently obtained her Master's Degree in Sports Journalism from Arizona State University at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she gained experience a sports reporter, anchor and producer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Erin by emailing erin.patterson@kgun9.com.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
- Download our free app for Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, Alexa, and mobile devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
