7 middle and high schoolers suffered football-related deaths in August

A recent string of football-related deaths across the country has left parents and coaches worried, as seven middle and high school students died in August alone.

The circumstances of the students’ deaths have ranged from heatstroke to chest pains and even some head injuries. Now, officials are sharing extra warnings to take sports safety measures seriously.

Among those to have died include students in West Virginia, Alabama, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, and Kansas.

It may be shocking, but the issue isn't just emerging this year, as the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reported that in 2023, there were 16 football-related deaths, and nine of them were middle or high school students.

While speaking with Fox News about the recent football-related deaths, the Wetherington Law Firm in Georgia said that they “have raised concerns about the safety of youth football, with calls for better equipment, training, and awareness of the risks posed by extreme heat.”

The firm is now offering legal support to the families that were impacted by the tragedies.

Attorney Matt Wetherington shared that school football is “still the Wild West” when it comes to mandating safety measures.

Wetherington says that coaches, school boards, and districts are not following through and protecting kids despite some states having regulations in place.

“They have a legal duty to ensure compliance with safety protocols, like having cooling stations, emergency action plans, and immediate medical response readiness. Failure to comply can lead to preventable injuries or deaths,” he told Fox News.

But the issue didn’t stop in August, as more continue to suffer injuries and fatal accidents while on the football field.

This week, a California high school student lost their life after being injured in a junior varsity game on Aug. 23. After tackling another player on the sidelines, The South East High School player needed medical attention.

“On behalf of our entire school community, I want to offer my deepest condolences. At this time, we request that the privacy of those who have been impacted be respected during this difficult time. Please know that our entire school community offers our support,” South East High School Principal Eric Jaimes wrote in the message provided by a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District to NBC News .

The NCCSIR shared that in July and August 2021, there were six football deaths, while in those same months in 2022, there were three, and two in 2023.

In 2019, traumatic deaths, including head and spine injuries, accounted for four deaths, zero in 2020, four in 2021, three in 2022, and two in 2023, the center shared.

Exertional deaths, which include cardiac arrest, sickling, and heat stroke, accounted for nine deaths in 2019, seven in 2020, 11 in 2021, five in 2022, and five in 2023.