A local community is mourning the loss of Caden Tellier, who was known for his “kindness, generosity and love”.
An Alabama high school student has passed away after suffering a traumatic brain injury during the opening game of the football season. The community and Tellier’s family are now grieving this tragic loss.
Caden Tellier, reported to be 16 years old by local outlet WFSA, was playing for the Morgan Academy football team in their first match against Southern Academy on Friday when he “sustained a traumatic brain injury,” according to a GoFundMe page and Facebook posts shared by the school and the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA).
Per AL.com, the head of school Dr. Bryan Oliver stated that the student-athlete’s injury occurred after a tackle during the third quarter of the game in Selma, Alabama.
According to ABC News, the high school junior was removed from the field and taken to a local hospital on Friday, before his passing was announced the following day. The Selma Times-Journal described it as a “scary moment” when the teen was injured, as the game was delayed while he received treatment and was transported by ambulance.
Tellier’s parents later shared a statement on social media, per AL.com, expressing that their son “has met Jesus face-to-face.”
“We appreciate all of your prayers, and we covet them for the hard days ahead,” the statement read. “Everyone who knows Caden has known kindness, generosity and love, and true to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time.”
The family added, “Lives have been touched by the way he lived and now lives will be saved through his passing. We will walk out these next few days alongside him in his earthly body knowing that his spirit is rejoicing in heaven.”
The organizer of Tellier’s GoFundMe campaign, Kristen Jones, echoed similar sentiments in the description, noting that the teen was an organ donor. “True to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time to save the lives of others through the donation of his organs,” the message read. “His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him.”
In a Facebook post, school head Dr. Oliver called the quarterback a “shining light” who “graced the halls of Morgan Academy,” expressing that there were “no words to describe” the grief felt by the school community and Tellier’s family. “We will come together and support Jamie, Arsella and Lyla with our whole hearts,” he wrote. “Caden will never be forgotten for who he was and what he means to Morgan Academy.”
The AISA also offered “any support and resources” to the school during this “heartbreaking time,” and announced that school activities would be suspended for the week to allow the community to “come together, reflect and support one another.”