A 12-year-old New Jersey boy collapsed and died during a no-contact football practice and his family is absolutely distraught about it.
Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia collapsed and died at his team’s practice in Newark.
“He was so happy to be there. He didn’t know that it was going to be his last day,” his mom told News 12.
The sixth-grade student at KIPP Rise Academy dropped to the ground and became unresponsive, his family told News 12.
“No contact. It was just drills running back and forth. He didn’t get hit,” his mother, Raven Brown, told the outlet.
“He was a healthy kid…I don’t know why Friday night was his day.”
Elijah’s 10-year-old brother, who was also at the practice, called their mother to tell her that the coaches even tried to revive him when he collapsed.
“He said, ‘They are pouring water on him, and they are fanning him.’ And that’s when I got my kids together and I said, ‘I’m on my way,’” says Brown.
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Brown called an ambulance as she rushed to the field. She would make it to her son before emergency services. She said it took 30-40 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Elijah was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
The following day, coaches called Brown to apologize.
“‘Sorry, none of us are CPR-certified,’” the coach allegedly told the grieving mother.
“They are neglectful. You can’t run a team like that,” Brown says.
Brown and her family are considering taking legal action against the group that runs the football league, she said.
