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Cleaveland: Football takes a toll on the body

The SafeSEAL(TM) antimicrobial soft diaphram slips onto any stethoscope effortlessly. Changed only once a week, SafeSEAL(TM) helps provide protection against harmful bacteria commonly found on stethoscopes. Available in adult, pediatric and infant sizes. (PRNewsFoto)
The SafeSEAL(TM) antimicrobial soft diaphram slips onto any stethoscope effortlessly. Changed only once a week, SafeSEAL(TM) helps provide protection against harmful bacteria commonly found on stethoscopes. Available in adult, pediatric and infant sizes. (PRNewsFoto)

By Dr. Clif Cleaveland 3 min read

To date, four high school football players have died in the course of this season’s play.

In a pre-season scrimmage, De’Antre Turman, 16, a highly regarded defensive back from Georgia, died as a consequence of a fractured neck, sustained as he tackled a pass receiver. On Sept. 4, freshman Tyrell Cameron, 16, died as a result of a collision with a blocker during a punt return at his Louisiana high school.

photo Clif Cleaveland

Sixteen-year-old Ben Hamm, a linebacker on his Oklahoma high school team, died on Sept. 18, eight days after sustaining a head injury during a game. New Jersey quarterback Evan Murray, 17, died soon after a routine hit on Sept. 25; rupture of an enlarged spleen caused his death, although his enlarged spleen may have been the result of earlier injury or an undiagnosed, infectious mononucleosis.

Although he didn’t die, on Sept. 2, Texas high school sophomore Jasiel Favors sustained a fractured neck in a junior varsity game, resulting in paraplegia.

Following the death of Cameron, an official of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association stated, “It’s tragic. It’s just one of those things where there’s nothing you can do, and it’s just a freak accident.”