( NewsNation ) — West Virginia middle school student Cohen Craddock would have been 14 on Monday, but his family commemorated the day without him.
“We celebrated what would have been his 14th birthday on Earth, and his first birthday in heaven,” the boy’s father, Ryan Craddock, said.
Cohen suffered brain trauma after making a tackle during football practice in August. He’s the youngest of eight student-athletes to die during football games or practices in the past month.
“From my understanding, it was a typical play at practice,” Craddock said. “He just got tangled up with some other guys and fell and hit his head on the ground. It went downhill from there and ultimately led to his death.”
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Sixteen students died from football-related injuries in 2023, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Each instance has devastated the children’s communities.
Chance Gainer was among those who died this year. He was a two-sport athlete who had just started his senior year at Florida’s Port St. Joe High School. The wide receiver and defensive back collapsed during a football game in the state’s Panhandle region Friday night.
He was running toward a play from the opposite side of the field when he suddenly fell to the ground, the school’s athletic director said. Coaches rushed to his side and called for paramedics, but Gainer died at the hospital — less than a month after his 18th birthday.
Gulf District Schools Superintendent Jim Norton called the young man’s death “tragic” and said the loss has filled the community with “profound sorrow.”
“He was a remarkable athlete, a beloved teammate, and an overall exceptional young man who loved Jesus,” Norton said.
Norton believes Chance’s death was heart-related, but an official coroner’s report is still underway.
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Some states have adopted new rules to better protect young athletes.
Texas and California both added new heat safety guidelines this month. The states’ high school athletics governing bodies say they’ll use new tools to monitor the heat outside and adjust athletic practices and games accordingly. Florida has similar rules.
Some like Craddock say they don’t want to drive kids away from the sport. Rather, they want to make it safer.
The father and football player started the Caps for Cohen fundraising initiative to provide soft-shell helmet covers to youth football players across West Virginia and possibly elsewhere.
The gear, often referred to by the brand name Guardian Cap, is a protective layer worn on the outside of helmets that reduces impact during hits, tackles and falls.
“I feel like it would have been a totally different outcome had Cohen been wearing one of these caps,” Craddock said. “It’s just an added layer of protection to the existing helmet. They’re really cheap. They’re really easy to put on and, for what they are, I’m surprised that all athletes aren’t wearing them by now.”
The NFL has mandated players including defensive backs and receivers wear the soft helmet covers during practice. Starting this season, they also may choose to wear them during games, and several players have sported them on the field.
Craddock also said coaches, athletes and families should receive training to recognize and prevent head injuries.
“I’m a football player, myself,” he said. “Everybody loves football. I’m not trying to change the game. I just want our kids to be safe in doing so.”
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