Veteran doctor and AHSAA medical director James Robinson said this week that, while it is unusual to have two football-related deaths in Alabama this early in a season, football remains a safe sport.
On Monday, family and friends in Selma continued to mourn the death of 16-year-old Morgan Academy student Caden Tellier, who died Saturday after suffering a critical brain injury in Friday’s Alabama Independent School Association Game.
Earlier this month, New Brockton 14-year-old freshman Semaj Wilkins died after collapsing during a mid-week practice. Coffee County coroner Arnold Woodham told AL.com on Monday that he is still awaiting the final autopsy report on Wilkins, who played in the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
There have been at least five football-related deaths nationwide this summer. Robinson, also the retired head team physician for the University of Alabama as well as the current medical director for the AHSAA, answered six questions from AL.com this week about safety of the sport, protocols for students in the AHSAA specifically (the AISA is a separate organization) and what he would tell parents who may be deciding if their children can play football.
AL.com: Quite simply, is football still a safe sport to play? Why or why not?
Robinson: “Yes, football is still safe. If you look at the data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, you will see that death rates remain at a fairly stable level. In 2023, there were 16 deaths at all levels. Ten were medically related, three were traumatic and three were not football related or unknown. At the high school level, four were medically related and three were related to traumatic head injuries. This is out of 4.2 million participants at all levels. While we had one traumatic head injury death and what seems like one medical death in Alabama, I do not know the numbers for the rest of the country. It is unusual to have two deaths already this early.”
AL.com: In the AHSAA, what is the protocol before a student can play athletes/football in general.
Robinson: “In order for a student to play sports in the state of Alabama for an AHSAA institution, he/she needs to have a yearly preparticipation physical exam signed by an M.D. or D.O. However, Nurse Practitioners can also do these physicals as long as they are signed by their collaborating physician. They and their parents/guardians must also sign consent forms including forms acknowledging the signs and symptoms of concussion and sudden cardiac arrest.”
AL.com: If football did not exist yet and it was proposed right now, would it happen? In other words, would we start the sport?
Robinson: “I personally think football is here to stay. Every year organizations that sponsor football try to make the sport safer with rule changes and equipment modifications.”
AL.com: What are the steps in the AHSAA when an injury happens on the field or in practice?
Robinson: “For the AHSAA, every coach must be trained in CPR and the use of AEDs and get recertified every two years. This is a law (Tyrell Spencer Act 2023-235) passed last year and is in effect this school year but has been an AHSAA requirement for years. It is also mandatory that every school must have an Emergency Action Plan that is venue specific and must be reviewed yearly and signed by the principal and athletic director. It is also mandatory for every school to have an AED available within 3 minutes of any on campus event. All coaches are trained in CPR, AED use, Heat Illness, concussion, sudden cardiac arrest, and there is a lot of medical information on the AHSAA website. The AHSAA has also instituted the “Medical Time Out” to be performed before each contest. This is where both participating coaches, medical personnel, emergency personnel and officials meet to discuss the Emergency Action Plan, injury response protocols, location of medical equipment including the AED and location of the nearest medical facility along with other pertinent medical information.”
AL.com: What would you tell parents about the safety of football if they are deciding whether or not to let their children play?
Robinson: “I would tell them that there are risks in all sports, especially the cardiac conditions. Football is unique as far as traumatic injuries are concerned, but there are similar risks in other sports as well (wrestling, soccer, cheerleading, gymnastics). I would make sure the parents understood the risks, understood the signs and symptoms of these serious conditions and would tell them to get a good preparticipation physical from a physician that is knowledgeable in sports related conditions and injuries and not just get a piece of paper signed. Probably the most important thing I would tell them is to make sure there is a Licensed Athletic Trainer at their school. Not all schools have one and they have been proven to reduce injuries and can properly respond to serious conditions. It is not mandatory to have one, but every school and athletic department should do everything possible to secure one for their school.”
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
