Justin McAllister had way more life to live, but it will never be fulfilled after the teenager lost his life doing what he loved to do.
The Sacramento City College football player died after practice on Monday, according to school officials. A spokesperson with Sacramento City College said the cause of death is not known.
According to The Sacramento Bee, McAllister took part in a routine 20-minute conditioning drill but was struggling to regain his breath. It caused him to go back to the locker room to try and collect himself. Unfortunately, he collapsed a short time later.
After players found out McAllister collapsed, they were told to exit the stadium. Once they were outside, players saw paramedics taking McAllister on a stretcher while giving him CPR.
McAllister, who graduated from Delta High School in Clarksburg in 2022, would soon be loaded on the back of an ambulance after emergency services were called but he could not be revived.
Teammates and coaches spoke to The Sacramento Bee about the incident, saying that McAllister was not pushed harder than usual during the team drill. He also had no prior medical concerns and had passed a physical prior to the start of the season.
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Sacramento City starting quarterback Sean Nixon spoke about the tragic situation on Tuesday and how it was a normal day at practice before tragedy struck.
“It was a normal conditioning day, like we do after every game, and then it became a horrible Monday,” Sac City quarterback and team leader Sean Nixon told The Sacramento Bee. “We didn’t know what was going on, but we knew it was bad. We did a team prayer in the parking lot when the ambulance left, right over there (pointing). It makes no sense. It’s a scary reminder of how precious life is.”
River Delta Unified School District released the following statement following McAllister’s death:
Our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with his amazing family during this unimaginably devastating time. Justin was held in the highest regard of all of his classmates and our current students at Delta High School. He will be missed deeply by his whole RDUSD family.
While no official cause of death is known, players said they were told it was cardiac arrest or some sort of failure.
