High school football player's death after injury is third this week
A high school football player has died after he collided with an opponent and collapsed during a game on Long Island.
Authorities say Tom Cutinella, a player for Shoreham-Wading River High School, died at a hospital Wednesday night after suffering a head injury during a game with John Glenn High School in Elwood.
A spokeswoman for the school districts tells Newsday that Cutinella had been in the intensive-care unit after undergoing surgery.
Suffolk County police say the collision happened about 6 p.m. Cutinella, a guard/linebacker, was injured during the third quarter of the varsity game.
Dozens of teammates, relatives and friends waited at the hospital for an update on his condition. As news of his death spread, two people fell to the floor weeping.
It's the third high school football death this week.
Demario Harris Jr. of Charles Henderson High in Troy, Alabama died Sunday after collapsing on the field Friday. On Monday, the family of Rolesville (N.C.) High player Isaiah Langston confirmed that he'd died after collapsing before Friday's game.
Langston's older brother told ABC 11 that Isaiah suffered a blood clot in his brain, while Harris' father denied a report that his son died of a brain aneurysm, claiming the 17-year-old suffered a hemorrhage caused by a hit he took in Friday's game.
“My family and me are dealing with a rough situation and we really appreciate everyone’s well wishes and prayers,” Demario Harris Sr. posted on Facebook. “And contrary to various media reports, my son had a brain hemorrhage, not an aneurysm, that was caused by a hit he took during Friday’s game. He may have had a pre-existing condition, but there is no way to tell now.
“Anyway, I want everybody to celebrate my son’s life and remember him as the wonderful person he was. Again, I thank everyone who has reached out to us, and we ask that everyone keeps us in their prayers."
