As family and friends continued to mourn the death of Morgan Academy high school football player Caden Tellier on Monday, coaches across the state were responding to another tragedy.
Tellier, a 16-year-old junior, died Saturday at UAB Hospital after suffering a critical brain injury during his team’s game against Southern Academy in Selma on Friday.
“It puts everything in perspective,” said Gulf Shores High head coach Mark Hudspeth, who has coached at both the high school and university levels. “At the end of the day, this is just one game and this was a precious life. There are players who may think they’re going through a rough time because they lost a game or didn’t play well or faced other adversities, but when something like this happens, it puts everything in perspective and shows all of us that all of these other things are fleeting. It’s all just things and we should be thankful every day for the life we have and for our families and thankful that we get to play this great game.”
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Students, parents and teachers gathered at Morgan Academy on Monday for a memorial and prayer service for Tellier. Principal Bryan Oliver told AL.com that pastors from the Baptist Association were present to offer support to teammates, classmates and the community.
“I think everyone is grieving in their own way, but also celebrating Caden’s life, and that’s important,” Oliver said. “Our ultimate goal is to use this as a platform to spread Caden’s love for Jesus, and hopefully that will impact a lot of other people. It’s not about being a student-athlete. It’s about what he did to impact our school, his friends and everyone around him.”
Tellier’s death is the second football-related death in two weeks in Alabama. Semaj Wilkins, a 14-year-old freshman at New Brockton High, died Aug. 13 after collapsing during practice. Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham told AL.com Monday that he is still waiting on the final autopsy report and “hopes to get it in a couple of weeks.”
Morgan Academy is a member of the Alabama Independent School Association, while New Brockton plays in the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
Tragedies of this kind are obviously not just a problem in Alabama. In recent weeks, there have been at least five football-related deaths nationwide.
“It’s heartbreaking for the family, the team and the coaches,” said Auburn High School coach Keith Etheredge. “Luckily, nothing like that has ever happened to me. I don’t know if I could keep coaching. It would be tough. It’s just tough. It’s heartbreaking. You’re trying to help these kids become better young men. When one is lost, I don’t know how a family gets through that. It’s tough, really tough.”
When the Red Devils play Pisgah on Thursday, Fyffe Paul Benefield will begin his 33rd year as head coach. He has been with Fyffe for 28 years.
“It’s just a tragedy that something like this happens and I feel sorry for the family and the child,” he said. “It happens no matter what you do. Kids get killed in ATV and motorcycle accidents. It’s just unfortunate. As a parent – and I’m a parent myself – that’s about the worst thing that can happen to you, but football is football. It’s a tough sport, but kids can crash in any sport. Of course there are more collisions. It’s a collision sport.”
Oliver told AL.com on Monday that Tellier’s injury occurred on what appeared to be a routine play in the third quarter.
“He was tackled. When he went down, his head hit the ground and that caused the injury,” he said. “He came off the field and was treated on the sidelines by trainers and other medical personnel.”
Benefield said his deepest condolences go out to Tellier’s family.
“You hope and pray that it never happens to you, but I’ve been doing this for a long time and it’s something you really think about every now and then and you can’t think about it much because it ruins your days,” he said.
Each of the coaches said that despite the tragedies, football is probably safer than ever before.
“We have the best equipment you can have,” Etheredge said. “Unfortunately, accidents happen. Things happen. I think the sport is safer than it’s been in a long time. A lot of kids are wearing the Axiom helmets. They show what impacts the kids are taking during practice. They have computer chips. We can see when a kid is taking a big hit, what part of the practice is more physically demanding and where we need to scale it back. We haven’t had a mid-range hit in most of our practice sessions and that’s what you want to stay.”
Newer rules in recent years have also helped prevent dangerous plays such as blindside blocks, shots to the head and late hits on the quarterback.
“I think everyone is doing their best to be as safe as possible,” Hudspeth said. “The game has really evolved and is a lot safer now. When you look at the fact that the blindside blocks have been removed. It’s just a much safer game. With fall camps, you have to be careful with the heat. I think the new rules that the state has put in place are another example of their commitment to making this game as safe as possible.”
“I know we’re trying to be as safe as possible by teaching proper techniques and making sure our guys are staying hydrated. I believe that for all the coaches in the state, safety is the number one priority. We’re all fathers. All of these coaches are not only fathers to their kids at home, but they’re fathers to these players. I don’t know of any coach that would intentionally put a player in danger.”
Oliver said Morgan Academy canceled its game at Wilcox Academy scheduled for Friday. The Senators have a built-in at-large date on Sept. 6, meaning their next game would likely be Sept. 13 against Monroe Academy.
New Brockton lost its opening game at Pike Liberal Arts last week. The Gamecocks play at Slocomb on Friday. Their first home game is Sept. 6 against Opp.
