Stiles reportedly intercepted a pass, walked to the sidelines and collapsed shortly after the play, according to NBC Action News. He was pronounced dead on Friday, at approximately 4 a.m., hours after arriving at University of Kansas hospital in Kansas City by helicopter.
A report on Yahoo!'s Prep Rally blog notes that Spring Hill Coach Anthony Orrick told the Miami County Republic that Stiles complained of head pain before collapsing.
Kevin Blackistone: Time to Rethink How We Protect Young Football Players
"It was just a routine play. I don't think there was anything special," Orrick told the Miami County Republic after the game. "I think he just hit the ground pretty hard with his head. He came on the sideline and told one of my assistants, 'my head is really hurting.' He sat down on the bench. He then stood up, but his legs went underneath him and collapsed there."
NBC Action News also reports that Stiles was taking part in his first game since returning from a concussion suffered in early October. Stiles' father confirmed this to the Kansas City Star, noting that his son suffered a concussion during the homecoming game earlier in the month, but was cleared to play Thursday.
Multiple outlets are also reporting that the tackle was 'normal,' but Stiles did hit the ground hard.
Grief counselors have been on hand for students of the Spring Hill school district. KCTV5 in Kansas City described Stiles as very popular and noted, "He had a 4.0 GPA -- didn't drink or do drugs -- and was one of the school's best athletes."
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Can you say second impact syndrome?
SO SAD,
its a sad story but i hate how parents always say "there is no way they drank or did drugs". nobody knows, and every parent says the say thing. maybe he did, maybe he did. maybe it had an effect maybe not. but if it did its just stupid for parents to say things like that when i happens all the time.
sorry, read it wrong. it was the news station. which makes it even more suspect. how could the news station possibly know?
who cares... what we do know is what he exhibited...4.0gpa and a star athlete... and more important a child who died...
Hey fishbowel, I'll bet on Halloween you go out as "Pinhead"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Football should be banned in high school.
Well with that thinking they should outlaw 16 year olds from driving too. It's a sad day for this young mans family and my thoughts and prayers are with them
16-year-olds should be banned from driving. Happy now?
Greetings, All:
My comments in reference to this story are straight forward. No way should a player who has received a concussion be playing unless cleared by authorized medical staff. That being said, all of the other nonsense mentioned on here makes no sense. This was tragedy in more ways than one. This young man had the potential to be a very good football player. But, as we know, as of late, hard, dangerous, illegal hits are making the once beloved sport a much more dangerous animal. Either football helmets need to be stronger or made stronger or players need to become stronger and healthier up top and defensive players need to be taught technique tackling that does not involve hitting. That means take these defensive players to a wrestling practice so they can learn how to grab, hold, and grapple. They need to learn to use leverage and basic science. Make the game a game of technique not of terror, and deaths like this will not occur.
ikhet...I take it you were in the band in high school.
most football players also compete in wrestling in the off season so they know all of these leverage and using it to their advantage in a hit but you cant predict how a hit will be or if the kid could stop his momentum in time so no one really knows the reason for this death is still unknownfor all we know he could have had an enlarged heart but we just dont know. but the padding of football today is the best it has ever been if you compare football injuries with other sports football actually has the least amount of injuries
Comments like the one by rlbrooks726 add nothing useful to the board and should be removed by AOL staff. Without MRI / CAT scan and / or other examinations, I doubt a true concussion can be cured in 3-4 weeks' time. The "clearance" by a doctor probably consisted of asking the young man "does your head hurt?", "is your head ringing?", "Do you still see two of everything?", and getting "no" answers. At the HS level, error should be on the side of a NON - ADULT's health.
Iknet, I very much agree with you on improving the helmets. I notice the helmets of high school players are the same structure as when I played back in the late seventies-early eighties. I brought this up for years on other websites. If we can make cars have head-ons at 40mph and the occupants can walk away, why can't we make a better helmet?
The coments in here by so called experts are a disgrace. You dont know the stage of the player in question,but according to the report He was clear to play. The problem lies on the Parents pushing the kids and the schools demonding coaches to win or else that it has taken a backstage to educaton. It is time to rethink the whole picture before more kids die.But the greed for fame and money will be put aside and the death will continue,it is in the american way because there will be another ignorant kid to make the school or his parents look good.
I hate to hear of things like this. When I was in Junior High there was a player that got kicked in the shin and the cleat caused him bone cancer. he died before the end of that school year. I'm talking this happened 30 some years ago. This is still much to dangerous of a sport, to say the least.
It's more likely that the kick coincided with the diagnosis of cancer -- he was kicked, xrays were done, and a tumor discovered. Cancer is not caused by cleats. Given that you were in jr. high, I suspect a lot of misinformation was circulating among the students, and that's what you recall.
A young man who sustains a concussion should be out of football for at least 6 months period and of report.
What happened is a sad tragedy. It is a fact the death is inevitable and age is not a deciding factor. Family enjoy the warm memories of your son and always keep them in your heart. No one knows the day or the hour of the end of your life.
The rules that are now in place regarding concussions require a player to be cleared by a doctor... This must be done with a form signed and returned for the player by the doctor... A "demanding coach" or parent can NOT clear a player to return to football... with the legal ramifications surrounding these rules any coach that allows a player to return without this could not only cause himself, but the school, AD, school district some big time legal issues...
The helmets and pads in general are far more advanced than they were back in the 70's or 80's... The players today feel "to safe" in this newer equipment... the problem lies in improper tackling techniques and to many kids seeing this in upper levels of football where these players are flying around like heat seaking missles... The NFL is trying to clean this up by imposing huge fines on players playing in this manner...
This is a sad day for this young mans family, his friends, his teammates and his coaches....My prayers go out to all of them.