High school football star dies after suffering head injury during ‘routine play’

The Alabama high school football community is mourning after the death of one of its own.

During John T. Morgan Academy’s season opener on Aug. 23, quarterback Caden Tellier suffered a traumatic head injury during the game.

Now, statements released by his school and his family have confirmed that the 16-year-old, known as “a shining light,” died from his injuries.

“Our boy Caden Tellier has met Jesus face to face,” Tellier’s parents said on Facebook. “Everyone who knows Caden has known kindness, generosity and love, and true to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time.”

“Lives have been touched by the way he lived and now lives will be saved through his passing,” the statement concluded. “We will walk out these next few days alongside him in his earthly body knowing that his spirit is rejoicing in heaven.”

While speaking with CNN, Alabama Independent School Association Executive Director Michael McLendon said that “while we may not know the full story for some time, initial reports are that Caden likely suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain following a routine play in which he was tackled and made contact with the ground.”

An investigation into Tellier’s death is ongoing.

The Selma school’s headmaster, Bryan Oliver, said Tellier will be remembered as “a student, a friend, an athlete and most important a Christ follower. There are no words to describe how we feel as a school community and family.”

Oliver also confirmed the 16-year-old was an organ donor, AL.com reported.

According to Fox 10, Tellier also played baseball for his high school. He played his first year of varsity football in 2023.

“He threw for 1,228 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions in eight games,” Fox 10 reports. “In baseball last spring, he hit .311 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.”