SELMA, Ala. — A 16-year-old high school football player has died after being hit during a game Friday night.
John T. Morgan Acadamy quarterback Caden Tellier was tackled in the third quarter of the game and suffered a brain injury, AL.com reported. The school was playing against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, during the season opener, CNN reported.
Caden, a 16-year-old junior, was flown to the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he died, AL.com reported. His family announced his death on Facebook.
Alabama Independent School Association Executive Director Michael McLendon told CBS News that it was a routine play and that Caden had ruptured a blood vessel in his brain.
Morgan Academy has canceled all sporting events for this week.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the funeral expenses.
Morgan Academy is a private school in Selma with 339 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, the school’s website said.
The school’s headmaster Dr. Brian Oliver wrote on social media that Caden was “a shining light every day he graced the halls of Morgan Academy.”
Oliver said that Caden was an organ donor, AL.com reported.