A high school football player in Kentucky tragically lost his life after he suffered a head injury during a routine tackle in an intrasquad scrimmage.
Andrew Dodson, a 17-year-old junior tight end and defensive end for Pulaski County High School, slammed his head on the turf during a tackle and subsequently sustained blunt-force trauma to the brain, his father, Alan Dodson, told the Lexington Herald-Leader on Sunday. He would be taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Somerset, where he underwent multiple surgeries before he died.
“It was not a violent hit or helmet-to-helmet,” the elder Dodson said. “It was a simple, clean tackle.
“His head hit the turf, and Andrew suffered blunt-force trauma to the brain.
Dodson, who was running the ball, fell on his head after being tackled by his teammate during the Pulaski County varsity football spring Maroon and White game. Dodson’s father stated his son was wearing a helmet during the collision.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association released a statement across its social media platforms on Monday, sending condolences to Dodson’s loved ones.
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Dodson’s family also released a statement.
Dodson was memorialized Friday in his hometown four days after dying from a traumatic brain injury he suffered on the practice field. Roughly 1,000 people came to pay their respects to Dodson and his family during a Friday morning service inside the Center for Rural Development just south of downtown Somerset.
