{"id":350,"date":"2014-10-24T12:01:24","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T12:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/?p=350"},"modified":"2016-03-23T10:25:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T10:25:32","slug":"cardiac-death-foils-medical-tracking-in-football-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/?p=350","title":{"rendered":"Cardiac Death Foils Medical Tracking in Football, All Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Risk of Sudden Death Understated in\u00a0Football, Say Experts<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Information Barriers, Autopsy\u00a0Limits Promote Short\u00a0Data<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sample 31 Player Cases Led by Cardiac\u00a0Deaths, 2014 To-Date<\/span><\/p>\n<p>By Matt Chaney<\/p>\n<p>Posted Friday, October 24, 2014<\/p>\n<p>As concern spikes again for deadly injuries in American football, field collisions have killed from two to five teenagers thus far in 2014, pending further analysis, and an exact number may remain in question.<\/p>\n<p>Actual football mortality constitutes a much bigger picture, meanwhile, through incalculable\u00a0player deaths that are indirectly related\u00a0to the game.<\/p>\n<p>Minimally two dozen American football players have succumbed in sudden death this year. Most of the cases are perplexing, challenging for accurate diagnosis and impractical for linking to\u00a0football, according to contemporary studies\u00a0and authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Record-keeping is stifled, resulting in significant under-reporting of deaths overall in American sport, especially for cardiac disease, say experts.<\/p>\n<p>For American football, sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been marginally\u00a0recorded over some 120 years of casualty reporting\u2212while likely being the leading cause of mortality in the game.<\/p>\n<p>And\u00a0a particular, robust SCD class has been practically excluded, left undocumented: Those active football players\u00a0who die <em>without \u00a0<\/em>physical exertion, in daily life outside game activities.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, say experts, an athlete&#8217;s restful or normal state can combine with previous exertion to induce cardiac arrest in some variations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yes&#8230;,&#8221;\u00a0affirms\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.uwmedicine.org\/bios\/kimberly-harmon\">Dr. Kimberly G. Harmon<\/a>, of the University of\u00a0Washington, a leading researcher in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/123\/15\/1594.abstract?ijkey=abaadba90b779b9c116ce0046a731330ab930c0f&amp;keytype2=tf_ipsecsha\">sudden death among athletes<\/a>, &#8220;exercise can cause changes in the heart in some conditions that may make SCD more likely either at rest or at death.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This year at least seven American football players have died during sleep and\u00a0minimally five have collapsed at home, on campus, or while shopping. See their cases amid the 2014 summaries below, hyper-linked to news reports.<\/p>\n<p>The dozen dead were schoolboys and collegiate players who participated regularly in training sessions and games. Each was hours or days removed from his last athletic exertion.<\/p>\n<p>Nine more players have collapsed during football-specific activities, such as games and practices, then died.<\/p>\n<p>Additional\u00a0cases likely have occurred this year, sudden deaths of active football players, but information is hindered, leading to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nccsir.unc.edu\/reports\/\">skewed recording and analysis\u2212<\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yourhoustonnews.com\/lake_houston\/news\/heart-issue-leads-uil-legislative-agenda\/article_7f13eac3-cb4c-5061-a053-dd71d238eb81.html\">weak prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Privacy law is one limitation but the research field relies too heavily on inconsistent news media, which traditionally generate the lot of football&#8217;s catastrophic casualties to become recorded. Thus final statistics are short regarding millions of players, most\u00a0prepubescent.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Current methods of data collection underestimate the risk of SCD,&#8221; conclude\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/circ.ahajournals.org\/content\/123\/15\/1594.full.pdf\">Harmon et al.<\/a>, in the group&#8217;s landmark 2011 research\u00a0on collegiate sports. &#8220;Accurate assessment of SCD incidence is necessary to shape appropriate health policy decisions and develop effective strategies for prevention.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Deaths in high school athletes may be even less likely to be identified by media reports as opposed to higher-profile NCAA athletes,&#8221; the researchers surmise in their article for <em>Journal of The American Heart Association<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Faulty U.S. Death Investigations Impact Medical Data on Sports<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Proper postmortem exam is problematic for American SCD casualties in general, not only\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.parentheartwatch.org\/IntheNews.aspx\">athletes<\/a>.\u00a0America&#8217;s current death-investigation system struggles with &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/pages\/frontline\/criminal-justice\/post-mortem\/more-deaths-go-unchecked-as-autopsy-rate-falls-to-miserably-low-levels\/\">widespread dysfunction<\/a>,&#8221; as documented by government and media\u00a0reviews in the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>Only about\u00a09\u00a0percent of all deaths are autopsied in this country,\u00a0and\u00a0cardiac disease can\u00a0elude\u00a0identification and diagnosis even under pathology exam.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The coroner-medical examiner system in the United States is highly variable in quality,&#8221;\u00a0says\u00a0Harmon, the MD and professor of sports medicine and family medicine at UW, via email. &#8220;Coroners are often elected or appointed officials with their only requirement being graduation from high school.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In many cases (of sport SCD) forensic pathologists are not performing the autopsies and most of the time\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.texasheart.org\/HIC\/Topics\/FAQ\/wicvpath.cfm\">cardiac pathologists<\/a>\u00a0are not involved.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The basic mission of coroner and ME offices nationwide is to rule\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.19actionnews.com\/story\/26345857\/coroner-ksu-football-players-death-appears-to-be-natural\">natural causes<\/a>\u00a0or foul play in a death, &#8220;and not necessarily the actual pathology,&#8221; notes\u00a0Harmon.<\/p>\n<p>Verifying a possible sport link is impractical, typically\u00a0impossible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Often the training of the pathologist is limited and budgets to run (microscopic) histology\u2212which is critical in making a correct (SCD) diagnosis\u2212are limited,&#8221; notes Harmon, who encounters the issues in her review of college cases.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Often experts will come to different conclusions as to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;rlz=1C1SKPC_enUS371&amp;ion=1&amp;espv=2&amp;ie=UTF-8#q=etiology\">etiology<\/a>\u00a0or not be able to make a definitive call on cause of death.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Common thread is lack\u00a0of evidence and sound\u00a0conclusion, for SCD incidents in football players, like 2013 prep fatalities reported in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theoaklandpress.com\/general-news\/20130117\/novi-detroit-catholic-central-student-died-of-natural-causes-updated?viewmode=fullstory\">Michigan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.highschoolot.com\/autopsy-reveals-fayetteville-football-player-died-of-arrhythmia\/13929204\/#RYu3ElP2ZodAU2Tk.99\">North Carolina<\/a>.\u00a0For the latter case,\u00a0<em>The Fayetteville Observer<\/em>\u00a0editorial board criticized state pathologists and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When young football player Evan Raines died last year during practice at Seventy First High School, his family had to wait more than a year to find out why,&#8221; the newspaper editorialized on Oct. 5, continuing:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But they weren&#8217;t singled out for what appears to be a glacial work pace at the N.C. Medical Examiner&#8217;s Office. &#8230; And they weren&#8217;t singled out, either, for an autopsy report that was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fayobserver.com\/opinion\/editorials\/our-view-medical-examiner-reform-a-pressing-priority\/article_23e13871-243d-53a8-ba76-b0c6dd9eea2c.html\">vague and incomplete<\/a>. That, we have learned, is the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/examiners\/\">prevailing condition<\/a>, too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In Missouri, a local\u00a0coroner acknowledges knowing little but to declare cardiac arrest as cause in the recent death\u00a0of 22-year-old international student\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.joplinglobe.com\/news\/article_6e3a8d0c-484e-11e4-bebb-fb3f783dbd69.html\">Kazadi Mutombo<\/a>. The ruling was\u00a0based on hearsay that the fit and athletic young man collapsed in workout clothes after visiting the YMCA in Joplin.<\/p>\n<p>Autopsy proved\u00a0fruitless; the coroner&#8217;s consultant pathologist detected negligible\u00a0evidence of harm to Mutombo&#8217;s heart, which &#8220;appeared to be in good shape.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s just certain things you don&#8217;t find out from autopsies, and you&#8217;ll never know,&#8221; says Newton County coroner Mark Bridges.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Accurate Death\u00a0Analysis Crucial to Surviving Family Members<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Researchers estimate\u00a0almost a third of SCD cases in athletes under age 35 produce &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cardiovascularpathology.com\/article\/S1054-8807(01)00107-7\/abstract?cc=y\">negative autopsy<\/a>&#8221; results for the different forms.\u00a0State-of-the-art,\u00a0costlier analysis is needed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Because electrical and other (cardiac) conditions will not be detected, it is not unusual for a routine autopsy to conclude that the cause of death was indeterminate,&#8221; states a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/documents\/mdch\/6-18_SCDY_Report_FINAL_June2012_389619_7.pdf\">Michigan study<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In such cases, heritable conditions such as cardiac ion-channel disorders are suspect and genetic analysis could help to elucidate the cause of death and prevent future deaths in families at risk.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The call is universal among experts, to overhaul SCD tracking in sports such as American football, foremost for preventing congenital\u00a0health calamities among\u00a0athletes and their families.<\/p>\n<p>Genetically inherited\u00a0cardiac conditions include most <a href=\"http:\/\/www.uptodate.com\/contents\/definition-and-classification-of-the-cardiomyopathies\">cardiomyopathies<\/a>, like &#8220;enlarged heart&#8221; or HCM, and the &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/cvgenetics.med.nyu.edu\/node\/323\">channelopathies<\/a>,&#8221; heartbeat malfunctions caused by the organ&#8217;s electrical current, becoming increasingly detectable in advanced assays.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the past decade, the emergence of the channelopathies, in particular long QT syndrome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, has transformed the importance&#8221; of advanced analysis, observes\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bjsm.bmj.com\/content\/46\/Suppl_1\/i15.full\">Dr. Mary N. Sheppard<\/a>, of the Department of Histopathology at Royal Brompton Hospital in London.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sudden unexpected death during exercise particularly can, in many families, bring to their attention a hitherto unsuspected cardiac condition which is inherited and may be diagnosed by screening first-degree family members,&#8221; Sheppard writes for\u00a0her 2012 analysis\u00a0published\u00a0in\u00a0<em>British Journal of Sports Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Missed diagnoses (or) wrong diagnosis can have catastrophic consequences for families in which other members are at risk of sudden death because they carry the defective gene for that condition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">31 Death Cases Among Football Players, 2014 To-Date<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This collection of\u00a0death\u00a0cases among active American football players in 2014 is a sampling of public reports, online news. This analysis does not purport to present any \u00a0accurate number or estimation of deaths caused or related to football activities.<\/p>\n<p>See 31 annotated cases below, including fatal casualties of brain bleeding, cardiac disease, heatstroke, and pulmonary embolism, culled from reports in Google banks since January.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-seven teenagers are among this sample 31 deaths, which are comprised of 1\u00a0youth football player, 2\u00a0middle-school students, 19 high-school players, 8\u00a0collegiate players, and 1 adult in flag football.\u00a0Case capsules are wholly constructed of news content.<\/p>\n<p>The information requires medically specialized followup, vetting by a multi-disciplinary team that would include accredited epidemiologists and a cardiac histopathologist, among experts, for scientific qualification beyond raw data, which is news content.<\/p>\n<p>No such research team has yet been funded and assembled for American football.<\/p>\n<p>Additional deaths among active football players appear online: suicides, drug overdoses, and more unexpected\u00a0casualty.<\/p>\n<p>Further\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ktre.com\/story\/26404229\/high-school-game-official-collapses-at-west-sabine-jv-game-later-dies\">deaths<\/a>\u00a0reported around the\u00a0sport, including of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hmbreview.com\/news\/assistant-football-coach-perry-dies-a-week-after-collapse\/article_9f394efe-3b7c-11e4-8a7e-6b2177f7cfc3.html\">coaches\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.koaa.com\/news\/family-mourns-loss-of-father-referee\/\">referees<\/a>, also do not appear below.<\/p>\n<p>Cases are collected and filed by Matt Chaney, MA, at email: mattchaney@fourwallspublishing.com.<\/p>\n<p>My condolences to family and friends of every deceased athlete.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Oct. 17:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Jamond Salley, 16, Virginia, a 5-10, 203-pound lineman for Park View High School in South Hill, complained of a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sovanow.com\/index.php?\/news\/article\/south_hill-area_football_player_dies_from_injury_in_friday_night_game\/\">headache<\/a>\u00a0after contact during a game. Salley collapsed on the sideline of a brain bleed and was pronounced dead at hospital. Cause of death was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/wtvr.com\/2014\/10\/23\/high-school-football-player-death\/\">blunt force trauma<\/a>, according to the medical examiner&#8217;s office. Sources: WTVR-TV and SoVaNow.com.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Oct. 12:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Trey Taulton, 18, Texas, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound receiver for Mesquite Horn High School, died during sleep of &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/starlocalmedia.com\/mesquitenews\/sports\/horn-senior-wide-receiver-trey-taulton-passes-away\/article_54f5142e-53d0-11e4-9c18-eb9a5257b1e8.html\">natural causes<\/a>,&#8221; reports\u00a0<em>The\u00a0Mesquite News<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Oct. 1:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Tom Cutinella, 16, New York, a linebacker and offensive guard for Shoreham-Wading River High School, sustained a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/newyork.cbslocal.com\/2014\/10\/06\/wake-continues-for-tom-cutinella-l-i-high-school-football-player-who-died-after-on-field-hit\/\">brain bleed\u00a0<\/a>during a game of contact, say police. Cutinella died later at hospital and no autopsy results were available at time of this posting.\u00a0Source: WFAN-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sept. 29:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah Langston, 17, North Carolina, a lineman for Rolesville High School,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/abc11.com\/news\/hundreds-attend-rolesville-high-school-football-players-funeral-\/336747\/\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0during a game on Sept. 26 and died three days later at hospital. A family member says cause of death was linked to a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/abc11.com\/328013\/\">blood clot<\/a>\u00a0at the brain,\u00a0reports WTVD-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sept. 28:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Andrew Madrid, 14, Texas, a football player for Marfa High School,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newswest9.com\/story\/26706405\/city-of-marfa-says-goodbye-to-teen\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0while playing soccer with friends at the school on this Sunday. He died later at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bigbendnow.com\/2014\/10\/marfa-isd-mourns-death-of-student-andrew-madrid\/\">hospital<\/a>. Sources:\u00a0<em>Big Bend Sentinel<\/em>\u00a0and KWES-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sept. 28:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Demario Harris Jr., 17, Alabama, a cornerback for Charles Henderson High School, collapsed of a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dothaneagle.com\/sports\/teammates-coaches-mourn-loss-of-demario-harris\/article_2078e5ca-4743-11e4-99b4-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm\">brain bleed<\/a>\u00a0after making a tackle during a game on Sept. 26. Harris\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/highschoolsports.al.com\/news\/article\/-4933398631891322702\/funeral-for-charles-henderson-football-player-demario-harris-is-saturday\/\">died<\/a>\u00a0two days later at hospital of a brain hemorrhage caused by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.people.com\/article\/high-school-football-player-deaths\">contact<\/a>\u00a0during the game, says his father. Sources:\u00a0<em>People<\/em>, WSFA-TV, and\u00a0<em>Dothan Eagle<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sept. 28:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Jeremiah Pierce, 12, New Jersey, a youth player in Penns Grove Midget Football,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/news\/national\/boy-12-dies-collapsing-football-practice-article-1.1956992\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0during practice on Sept. 23 and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nj.com\/salem\/index.ssf\/2014\/10\/penns_grove_vigil_brings_strength_to_family_of_salem_football_player_who_died.html\">died<\/a>\u00a0five days later at hospital. Results of any postmortem examination were not available at time of this posting. Sources:\u00a0<em>New York Daily News<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>South Jersey Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Sept. 1:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Miles Kirkland-Thomas, 16, New York, a 6-2, 295-pound lineman for Curtis High School,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.silive.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2014\/09\/curtis_high_school_junior_dies.html\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0during football practice and was pronounced dead at hospital. Cause of death was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.silive.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2014\/10\/post_953.html\">hypertrophic cardiomyopathy\u00a0<\/a>or HCM,\u00a0and obesity contributed, according to the medical examiner&#8217;s office. Source:\u00a0<em>Staten Island Advance.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Aug. 25:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Walker Wilbanks, 17, Mississippi, a lineman for Jackson Preparatory School, collapsed during a game on Aug. 22. He died three days later at hospital of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.clarionledger.com\/story\/news\/2014\/08\/29\/hot-walker-wilbanks-play\/14843919\/\">over-hydration<\/a>, or hyponatremia, according to Dr. Joe Pressler. Source:\u00a0<em>Clarion Ledger<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Aug. 24:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Marquese Meadow, 18, Maryland, a 6-2, 300-pound lineman for Morgan State University, collapsed at football practice on Aug. 10. He\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/maryland\/baltimore-city\/bs-md-ci-morgan-football-death-20140825,0,2774097.story?page=1&amp;track=rss\">died<\/a>\u00a0two weeks later at hospital of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/highschools\/former-friendship-collegiate-player-marquese-meadow-18-dies\/2014\/08\/24\/924504e0-2be6-11e4-994d-202962a9150c_story.html\">heatstroke<\/a>, according to the medical examiner&#8217;s office. Sources:\u00a0<em>Baltimore Sun<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Washington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Aug. 20:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Jason Bitsko, 21, Ohio, a 6-4, 280-pound offensive lineman for Kent State University, died during\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/2014\/08\/21\/kent-state-football-player-jason-bitsko-found-dead-in-apartment\/\">sleep<\/a>\u00a0at home. Final autopsy results are\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ksla.com\/story\/26354057\/funeral-plans-set-for-ksu-football-player\">pending<\/a>\u00a0for public release. Sources: The Associated Press and WOIO-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Aug. 16:<\/span>\u00a0 Will Wheeler, 17, Massachusetts, a 5-11, 165-pound defensive back for Central Catholic High School,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eagletribune.com\/local\/x1927932626\/Central-football-player-dies-in-his-sleep\">died<\/a>\u00a0during sleep at home. Autopsy is planned, reportedly, but no results are yet available online. Source:\u00a0<em>Eagle Tribune<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Aug. 13:<\/span>\u00a0 William Shogran Jr., 14, Florida, a lineman for Sebastian River High School, collapsed at football practice then died at hospital.\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/news\/national\/florida-teen-dies-playing-football-scorching-temperatures-article-1.1904921\">Heat illness<\/a>\u00a0possibly contributed, according to\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wptv.com\/news\/region-indian-river-county\/sebastian\/football-team-arrives-back-in-sebastian-counselors-assist-with-tragic-death-of-team-member\">reports<\/a>. Further information was unavailable at time of this posting. Sources:\u00a0<em>New York Daily News<\/em>\u00a0and WPTV-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Aug. 11:<\/span>\u00a0 Zyrees Oliver, 17, Georgia, an offensive lineman for Douglas County High School, collapsed during\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsbradio.com\/news\/news\/family-douglas-county-football-player-has-no-brain\/ngzBr\/\">football practice<\/a>\u00a0on Aug. 5. He six days later at hospital of\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.weather.com\/health\/georgia-teen-dies-overhydration-20140813\">over-hydration<\/a>, say doctors. Further pathology results are pending but currently unavailable online. Sources:\u00a0<em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>The Weather Channel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Aug. 10:<\/span>\u00a0 Dan Malakoski, 36, Pennsylvania, collapsed while playing flag football and died at hospital, reportedly of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/newsitem.com\/news\/tragedy-strikes-alumni-tourney-1.1733738\">cardiac arrest<\/a>. Source: NewsItem.com.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Aug. 6:<\/span>\u00a0 Noah Cornuet, 16, Pennsylvania, a 6-2, 270-pound lineman for Burrell High School,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.post-gazette.com\/local\/westmoreland\/2014\/08\/06\/Burrell-High-School-football-player-dies-at-practice\/stories\/201408060201\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0at football practice then died at hospital. Reportedly, a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wtae.com\/news\/burrell-high-school-football-player-dies\/27347348\">non-cancerous heart tumor<\/a>\u00a0caused the death. Further information is unavailable online. Sources: WTAE-TV and\u00a0<em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">July 21:<\/span>\u00a0 Shawn Afryl, 22, Minnesota, a 6-3, 310-pound offensive lineman for Winona State University,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/sports\/college\/chi-illini-mourn-death-of-former-teammate-20140722-story.html\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0during a conditioning workout and died at hospital.\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.startribune.com\/sports\/268168172.html\">Cardiac arrest<\/a>\u00a0reportedly caused the death. Sources:\u00a0<em>Chicago Tribune<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Minneapolis Star Tribune<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">June 30:<\/span>\u00a0 Sean Tillotson, 17, Vermont, a running back and tight end for Oxbow Union High School, died of a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vnews.com\/news\/12957580-95\/local-regional-briefs-for-thursday-july-31-2014\">pulmonary embolism<\/a>, a blood clot lodged in lung tissue, during an airport layover in Denver, Colorado. Tillotson was recovering from a second\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vnews.com\/news\/townbytown\/thetford\/12628332-95\/oxbow-student-dies-during-trip\">surgery<\/a>\u00a0on a knee that was injured the previous football season. Source:\u00a0<em>Valley News<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">June 30:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Gage Meeks, 11, Louisiana, who was\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thenewsstar.com\/article\/20140702\/NEWS01\/307020030\">preparing<\/a>\u00a0to play football for Calhoun Middle School, became stricken at home and died at hospital. A doctor said\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.knoe.com\/story\/25920911\/calhoun-boy-dies-unexpectedly\">cardiac arrest<\/a>\u00a0caused the death. Sources: KNOE-TV and\u00a0<em>Monroe News-Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">May 21:<\/span>\u00a0 An unidentified boy, 14, New Jersey,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2014-05-23\/news\/50033090_1_gym-class-student-gym-teacher\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0while throwing a football during PE class and died at hospital. The\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/articles.philly.com\/2014-05-24\/news\/50057528_1_harrington-middle-school-sad-day-school-district\">incident<\/a>\u00a0occurred at Thomas E. Harrington Middle School. Source:\u00a0<em>Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">May 13:<\/span>\u00a0 MarQuavious Payne, 17, Georgia, a 5-11, 185-pound linebacker for Cedar Shoals High School, died during\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/onlineathens.com\/local-news\/2014-05-14\/students-death-devastating-loss-cedar-shoals\">sleep<\/a>\u00a0at home.\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/onlineathens.com\/local-news\/2014-05-16\/fund-seeks-help-athens-woman-whose-son-died-days-after-other-son-shot\">Pathology<\/a>\u00a0results are unavailable online. Source:\u00a0<em>Athens Banner-Herald<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">April 27:<\/span>\u00a0 James Michael Creamer Jr., 15, New York, a lineman for St. Peter\u2019s Boys High School, died in sleep at his home.\u00a0 An allergic reaction or choking may have contributed to the death, say\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.silive.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2014\/04\/15-year-old_described_by_his_a.html\">family members<\/a>. Source:\u00a0<em>Staten Island Advance<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">April 21:<\/span>\u00a0 Jaqwan Cephus McGill, 16, North Carolina, a 5-6, 155-pound running back for South Columbus High School,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fayobserver.com\/news\/local\/article_64f54af6-b7f0-53ec-a019-fcc910872be9.html\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0at a convenience store and was pronounced dead at hospital. \u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wect.com\/story\/25323569\/family-and-friends-need-to-know-teens-cause-of-death-for-closure\">Autopsy<\/a>\u00a0was performed but results remain unavailable online. Sources:\u00a0<em>Fayetteville Observer<\/em>\u00a0and WECT-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">April 15:<\/span>\u00a0 Mekail Evans, 17, Alabama, a 5-10, 195-pound linebacker for Clay-Chalkville High School,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/highschoolsports.al.com\/news\/article\/-2261424612288272638\/clay-chalkville-football-family-mourns-the-loss-of-rising-senior-linebacker-mekial-evans\/\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0and died at home following a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.trussvilletribune.com\/2014\/04\/18\/clay-chalkville-mourns-death-of-football-player-vigil-tonight\/\">workout<\/a>. The teen had a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.al.com\/spotnews\/2014\/04\/god_and_jesus_christ_said_they.html\">heart condition<\/a>\u00a0that was previously undiagnosed, say family members. Sources:\u00a0<em>Trussville Tribune<\/em>\u00a0and Al.com.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">April 6:<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 Ronald Cunningham, 19, North Carolina, a 6-2, 285-pound lineman for St. Augustine\u2019s University, collapsed on campus, possibly of\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.chatsports.com\/virginia-cavaliers\/a\/Former-Dinwiddie-football-standout-Ronald-Cunningham-dies-after-becoming-ill-at-college-0-9625129\">cardiac arrest<\/a>, and died at\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wral.com\/freshman-football-player-at-saint-augustine-s-dies-unexpectedly\/13545714\/\">hospital<\/a>.\u00a0 Cunningham had recently injured a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/2014\/04\/08\/3767045\/freshman-football-player-ronald.html\">knee<\/a>\u00a0in football practice and was awaiting\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/wtvr.com\/2014\/04\/07\/former-dinwiddie-football-player-ronald-cunningham-dies-unexpectedly-at-college\/\">surgery<\/a>. Pathology results, if any, are unavailable online. Sources: WTVR-TV, WRAL-TV,\u00a0<em>Charlotte News Observer<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Richmond Times-Dispatch<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">March 25:<\/span>\u00a0 Will McKamey, 19, Maryland, a 5-9, 170-pound running back for the U.S. Naval Academy, collapsed of a\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/ncaaf\/2014\/04\/01\/navy-football-return-to-practice-death-of-midshipman-will-mckamey\/7180713\/\">brain bleed<\/a>\u00a0at practice on March 22 and died three days later in hospital, following surgery. No football contact distinguishable on video could be linked to the injury,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2014\/03\/27\/navy-football-player-will-mckamey-died-this-week-from-brain-injury-who-s-to-blame.html\">say family members<\/a>. McKamey previously suffered a severe brain bleed in football, 2012, when he was a high-school senior in Tennessee, but no surgery was performed after that incident and he returned to the sport. Sources:\u00a0<em>USA Today<\/em>\u00a0and TheDailyBeast.com.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">March 8:<\/span>\u00a0 DaQuan Henderson, 15, South Carolina, a defensive lineman for Whale Branch Early College High School,\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marshelswrightdonaldson.com\/fh\/obituaries\/obituary.cfm?o_id=2448486&amp;fh_id=13339\">died<\/a>\u00a0at a hospital. Henderson\u2019s mother said her son had been diagnosed with irregular heartbeat and a coroner reportedly determined\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.islandpacket.com\/2014\/03\/10\/2993929\/whale-branch-student-who-died.html\">natural causes<\/a>\u00a0for the death. Further information is unavailable online. Sources:\u00a0<em>Beaufort Gazette<\/em>\u00a0and MarshelsWrightDonaldson.com.<\/p>\n<p><strong>March 2:<\/strong> Desmond Pollard, 17, Texas, a 6-2, 180-pound receiver for Gilmer High School,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.msnewsnow.com\/story\/24923547\/he-was-more-than-a-teammate-he-was-like-a-brother-community-gathers-to-remember-etx-teen\">collapsed<\/a>\u00a0and died during a pickup <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbs19.tv\/story\/24898301\/cbs-19-exclusive-desmond-pollards-family-members-remember-desmond\">basketball<\/a>\u00a0game. Pathology results, if any, are unavailable online. Sources: KLTV-TV and KYTX-TV.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Feb. 8:<\/span>\u00a0 Eddie Key III, 18, Nebraska, a 6-2, 270-pound lineman for Wayne State University, died in his\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/journalstar.com\/news\/local\/911\/autopsy-pneumonia-killed--year-old-football-player\/article_ae83080a-b930-581c-a387-0cb56b438e9e.html\">sleep<\/a>. Autopsy results reportedly list the cause as\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.1011now.com\/home\/headlines\/Wayne-State-College-Student-Found-Dead-in-Dorm-Room-244627421.html\">pulmonary edema<\/a>, fluid buildup in the lungs caused by heart failure. Sources: KOLN-TV and\u00a0<em>Lincoln Journal Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Feb. 7:<\/span>\u00a0 Ted Agu, 21, California, a 6-1, 240-pound defensive lineman for the University of California-Berkeley, became\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.sfgate.com\/cal\/2014\/02\/07\/details-on-death-of-cal-football-player-ted-agu\/\">stricken<\/a>\u00a0during a team conditioning session and died. Autopsy results released in spring reportedly listed the cause as\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/collegefootball\/eye-on-college-football\/24538234\/coroner-cals-ted-agu-died-of-hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy\">hypertrophic cardiomyopathy<\/a>, thickening of the heart, but the player\u2019s family later filed a wrongful death\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/collegesports\/article\/Family-sues-UC-over-Cal-football-player-s-death-5670060.php\">lawsuit<\/a>, alleging he had a known\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.sfgate.com\/cal\/2014\/02\/07\/details-on-death-of-cal-football-player-ted-agu\/\">sickle-cell<\/a>\u00a0condition. Sources: The Associated Press, <em>San Francisco Chronicle,<\/em> and SFGate.com.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit;\">Jan. 17<\/span>:\u00a0 Joseph Cooks, 18, Florida, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound wide receiver for Southeastern University, died in his\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theledger.com\/article\/20140119\/NEWS\/140119148#gsc.tab=0\">sleep<\/a>. Pathology\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theledger.com\/article\/20140121\/news\/140129837\">results<\/a>, if any, are unavailable online. Source: <em>Lakeland Ledger<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Matt Chaney, with a MA in electronic media studies, is an independent writer, editor, teacher, and restaurant cook in Missouri, USA. For more information, including about his book\u00a0<\/em>Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football (2009)<em>, visit the homepage at\u00a0<\/em>www.fourwallspublishing.com<em>. Email him at\u00a0<\/em>mattchaney@fourwallspublishing.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Risk of Sudden Death Understated in\u00a0Football, Say Experts Information Barriers, Autopsy\u00a0Limits Promote Short\u00a0Data Sample 31 Player Cases Led by Cardiac\u00a0Deaths, 2014 To-Date By Matt Chaney Posted Friday, October 24, 2014 As concern spikes again for deadly injuries in American football, field collisions have killed from two to five teenagers thus far in 2014, pending further &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/?p=350\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Cardiac Death Foils Medical Tracking in Football, All Sports<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[3,2,4],"tags":[126,107,95,94,124,114,72,73,120,97,14,122,106,40,123,15,104,119,89,110,109,98,16,87,5,118,108,49,121,103,105,117,39,82,125,90],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4ywFp-5E","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":153,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1012,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions\/1012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fourwallspublishing.com\/BlogMChaney\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}