Facing Youth Sports Tragedies: Addressing the Concerns and Seeking Solutions

It’s a high school gathering no onewanted to see: a memorial for 15-year-old Robert Gillon. The Florida teen died from a possiblecardiac arrest the morning afterhe complainedof chest pain. He’s one of at least seven teenage football players who’ve diedjust this month. In West Virginia, Ryan Craddock’s 13-year old-son Cohen was rushed to the hospital last Friday. From my understanding, and hit his headon the ground. Just a standard play, there’s nothing any different about it. Cohen was wearinga helmet, but the injury causedhis brain to swell 16-year-old Caden Tellier also died after a severe head injury during a game at his school in Alabama. Leslie Noble, also 16, collapsed on the fieldin Baltimore and died after a possible heat stroke. When we start getting kids that are hot enough that they’re getting confused and that stuff, a lot of times,they look like a kidwith a concussion. But it’s actually, when they get to that point, it is a medical emergency that needs to becooled immediately. Don’t be afraid to talk with your coach or the trainer or the physician on the sideline if something doesn’tfeel right. Cohen Craddock’s dadis already taking action, urging schools to attach padded head protectors called guardian caps I don’t want to waste time. So, that’s the reason why I’m trying to push to get guardian caps for these kids now. Yes, sir. I do not want to see this happen to anybody else.