Posted on 11/12/2013 4:53:04 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
PHOENIX -- PHOENIX (AP) — A high school football player in Arizona died from an injury suffered in the fourth quarter of a blowout playoff game loss, serving as another tragic reminder of the dangers of head trauma in youth sports.
Hopi High School senior Charles Youvella died of a traumatic brain injury Monday at a hospital, the Arizona Interscholastic Association said. He was injured Saturday in Hopi's 60-6 loss to Arizona Lutheran in a first-round playoff game. Youvella scored his team's only touchdown in the game.
The death attracted national attention after Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver tweeted a picture of Youvella and asked people to pray for the teen's family, friends and teammates.
A community memorial is planned for Wednesday evening at the high school auditorium. The Arizona Interscholastic Association says Charles Youvella died with his family by his side. Youvella's father, Wallace Youvella Jr., is the school's athletic director.
"We'll all have to move forward and at least support one another and support our young children," Hopi Chairman Le Roy Shingoitewa said.
The death comes at a time when head injuries in football are attracting attention at all levels of the sport.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailynews.com ...
How sad. Prayers to his family and friends. This has to have devastated that entire community.
it is sad, but few die doing the things they love.
Far more teens die in motor vehicle accidents than they do participating in athletics.
Now, that is just one screwed up headline. WTF did the “lopsided loss” have to do with anything????
It probably implies should have been taken out of the game.
i was hoping the article would have touched a little on the actual injury... how he got it... was it one hit? did he take a few or even several that day? was it when he made the touchdown? his father is the athletic director, so he has probably been playing all his life...
Agreed.
“WTF did the “lopsided loss” have to do with anything????”
I thought the implication was that they might have lost heart, and might therefore have been more vulnerable to injury.
I played 4 years of HS football(and basketball and ran track), not one person on our team or any team in our league suffered a serious injury, certainly none of them died. We did have several kids, in our school and in the schools of the other teams in the league, die from traffic accidents, either while driving or being run over by some idiot. One kid in our school died in a tragic fire his brother was terribly injured and remains scarred to this day. But no one was killed playing sports, not in HS or grammar school. All this BS about how dangerous sports are is just that BS.
Liberals want to turn out kids in to wussies who won't fight back against a corrupt government and this is one way to do it: Take all competition out of schools, academically and athletically.
““WTF did the “lopsided loss” have to do with anything????”
I thought the implication was that they might have lost heart, and might therefore have been more vulnerable to injury.”
I read it through liberals eyes as a senseless death from a brutal beating.
Also anything alcohol or drug related.
A teacher’s son at my daughters school got a concussion from 8th grade football practice. It’s been about 2 years, and they are still having problems with him. He gets tiredvand irritable. He was restricted on physical activity for over a year. He has trouble with school. It’s been horrible. Her husband divorced her a year ago.
Ryan Swope was a receiver at Texas A&M who was drafted by the NFL, and he nevr got to play a game because of concussion problems. He left A&M early, but is back finishing his degree.
I don't know whether the sports are being played more aggressively, or whether more youngsters are participating or what. I sure don't remember so many injuries from 'our day', and I didn't see as many at the schools where I taught last year. There were quite a few, but not like this.
Last fall I taught at an urban school in a rough area. By Christmas over 10% of my students had been assaulted on the way home from school. They spent a lot of time dealing with police and the judicial system. My current school doesn't have the assaults, but we sure have sports injuries.
These are the same people who have outlawed dodge ball and monkey bars and asphalt from our schools and also want to give every kid a passing grade whether they earned it or not.
Per other articles after catching a pass, he was a wide receiver and was tackled to the ground. The tackle was one of many and fairly routine, although the back of his head hit the ground hard. Youvella got up and played two more plays before he collapsed on the field. Very tragic. RIP young man.
If any of his family or friends read FR, please know that my prayers are with you. I can not imagine the pain you must be suffering.
I think are just better diagnostic tools these days and the doctors can tell that kids are being hurt. That’s why we hear more about it today. Then the older professional players are having.
There’s a balance. Certainly making better helmets has helped. Being cautious with a kid when they do get hit. If they have a concussion, then they may not be able to play.
I have a daughter with a brain injury from an illness. It sucks! I know what the results of these injuries are. It wouldn’t be worth it for me.
“I read it through liberals eyes as a senseless death from a brutal beating.”
Maybe so.
“...another tragic reminder of the dangers of head trauma in youth sports.”
The real story isn’t about one single catastrophic injury that kills someone. It’s about the effect of repeated moderate blows to the brain over the course of a football career. Not even concussions, although getting a concussion might make subsequent moderate blows to the brain have a greater effect.
Freegards
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