Carter player dies after Practice

[Mustangs35SMU]

From the DMN

17-year-old Dallas high school football player died Monday afternoon following his team's first official practice of the year.

Carter High School senior Eric Brown, a 5-11, 275-pound starting center for the football team, had finished practice around noon Monday, a school district spokesman said.

“He seemed to be in good spirits after practice,” said Troy Mathieu, spokesman for the Dallas Independent School District. “Once he got home, he started experiencing complications and his sister dialed 911.”

Brown was taken to Charlton Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:09 p.m.

Edward Brown, Eric’s father, said witnesses told him that his son and another player had collapsed on the field during practice and were iced down by players and coaches.

Coach Allen Wilson said an ambulance was called for another player who showed signs of heat exhaustion. Wilson said Brown went to the trainer’s room after practice to cool off and drink fluids and later left on his own.

Wilson and players said the practice lasted almost 3 1/2 hours. Players wore shorts, T-shirts and helmets during the workout and described it as a typical practice, including conditioning and drills. The practice ended with 16 wind sprints of 30 or 40 yards.

“The heat was getting to us, but they were taking care of us,” said Curtis Bailey, a 6-7, 350-pound junior offensive lineman. “They were giving us water and cooling us off, putting water down our backs.”

“He got through the whole workout,” Wilson said. “He didn’t complain about any injuries or conditions or anything.”

Added senior defensive tackle Naaman Akinola: “I talked to him right before I went in. He looked normal - just tired like everybody else.”

Eric had no pre-existing health conditions, although he had not undergone a physical by football trainers before practices began, Brown said.

“He was a good kid,” Brown said. “Playing football runs in our family. His mind was just on being a normal person and doing the best he can.”

The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office had not determined a cause of death as of Tuesday.

Mathieu said it had not been determined whether heat or any pre-existing conditions were factors in Brown’s death.

At noon Monday, the high temperature was 92 degrees at Dallas Executive Airport, the closest reporting station to the South Dallas high school. The heat index, however, was 105 degrees, according to National Weather Service statistics.

“It’s very dangerous for outdoors,” said Dan Shoemaker, a meteorologist.

No athletes died from heat stroke in 2003, although 21 young football players have died from heat stroke in the past eight years, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research’s annual survey of football injury research, which was last updated in February

[ponyboy]

That's just awful. Bless his family.

As the loving uncle of a sophomore offensive lineman at Lake Highlands who goes about 5'10" and 260 pounds, I worry about such things too.

[Mustangs35SMU]

I havent even thought of it till the Allen accident with the car and now this.

Now Im going to have to worry about one of our players here in Longview having that happen

btw, good luck to Lake Highlands when they come here to Longview

[Big Easy Pony]

His family is in my thoughts.

I wonder if he was close with (Carter grads) Anthony Barnett and Desmond Jones?

[MrMustang1965]

Maybe I just missed it, but not a single one of the Dallas area TV stations had this on their newscasts on Monday or Tuesday. As for the player's family and friends, my condolences to each of them.

[jtstang]

It was on this morning's Fox 4 news (along with that cute Megan chick).

[MrMustang1965]

It was on this morning's Fox 4 news (along with that cute Megan chick).

Guess I was still asleep. Just saw Ch. 8 (WFAA-TV) promo it for their 6 p.m. newscast tonight, too.