14-year-old from Alabama dies after collapsing during football practice: “He just loved the sport”
Semaj Wilkins, a freshman at New Brockton High School, died Tuesday in Alabama after collapsing during football practice.
The 14-year-old recently updated his Facebook profile with a photo of himself on the field in his new high school football uniform.
“He said, ‘No, I want to play football. Mom, I can beat them, I can beat them.’ … He just loved sports, period,” Wilkins’ mother, Regena Johnson-Adams, told WDHN-TV, adding that her son also loved baseball and basketball.
According to data from the National Weather Service, temperatures in the region reached 96 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.
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A bench on a football field. (Steve Nurenberg/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)
Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham said Wilkins suffered a medical emergency on the field and received CPR before being taken to a hospital.
“I panicked. I grabbed whatever I could think of and ran out. … I got to the field and was devastated because they wouldn’t let me get to my baby,” Adams told WDHN about the call she received about what had happened.
Woodham said the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences will conduct an autopsy and it will likely take several weeks to get the results. The cause of death is not yet known.
Woodham said Wilkins collapsed earlier during training, suggesting the possibility of an underlying medical issue, but added: “We will not make a decision until we have the final report.”
New Brockton High School will hold a vigil at its football stadium Friday night to remember Wilkins and honor his mother.
“Semaj was a young man who brought joy and inspiration to his classmates, teammates, coaches and faculty. His loss will be deeply mourned by all who knew him,” Coffee County Schools Superintendent Kelly Cobb wrote in a statement on Facebook.
The incident occurred in Alabama. (Fox News)
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New Brockton is a city of about 1,400 residents in southern Alabama near the Florida border.
“The community of New Brockton is very small. Because it’s a small rural town in southeast Alabama, everyone knows everyone,” Woodham said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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