High school quarterback dies from brain injury in freak accident: 'Our hope is that God will be glorified through our story'

An Alabama high school quarterback died suddenly after suffering from a traumatic brain injury during the season-opening game on Friday night, according to multiple reports.

John T. Morgan Academy’s first game of the 2024 season was held on Friday against visiting Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama.

'My son was an exceptional athlete. But the thing he loved the most was to talk about Jesus.'

Caden Tellier, a 16-year-old junior, was the quarterback for John T. Morgan Academy. During the third quarter of the game, Tellier suffered an injury from a freak accident.

The Alabama Independent School Association executive director Michael McLendon said those in the crowd watching the game "likely did not witness anything unusual" in the heartbreaking last play that he described as "routine."

McLendon said, "While we may not know the full story for some time, initial reports are that Caden likely suffered a ruptured blood vessel in his brain following a routine play in which he was tackled and made contact with the ground."

Tellier was taken off the field and airlifted to the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital in critical condition.

McLendon told CNN that it could be "quite some time before we have more information about the injury and overall incident."

Caden's parents — Arsella Slagel Tellier and Jamie Tellier — revealed that their son had passed away in a Facebook post shared on Saturday.

Our boy, Caden Tellier has met Jesus face to face. We appreciate all of your prayers and we covet them for the hard days ahead. Everyone who knows Caden has known kindness, generosity, and love, and true to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time. Lives have been touched by the way he lived and now lives will be saved through his passing. We will walk out these next few days alongside him in his earthly body knowing that his spirit is rejoicing in heaven.

The grieving parents provided an update on social media on Tuesday morning, where they thanked the medical staff who cared for Caden. The heartbroken parents also revealed that Caden was an organ donor and "his final wish to give the gift of organ donation" was realized.

"Caden is still fighting hard in his earthly body as he prepares for this final act of generosity to bring new life to others," the parents said. "We continue to pray for those whose lives will be forever changed by his gifts."

The parents added, "Our hope is that God will be glorified through our story. His love will be evident, and that Caden’s impact will touch the lives of many."

Caden's father, Jamie Tellier, said, "I could tell you a lot about who my son was, who my son is. My son was an exceptional athlete. But the thing he loved the most was to talk about Jesus."

The parents were "overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and generosity from our friends, community, and even those who have never met us in person."

'His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him.'

Dr. Bryan Oliver — the headmaster of John T. Morgan Academy — said in a statement on social media:

It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Caden Tellier has gone to be with his Lord and Savior. Caden loved the Lord with all his heart and was a shining light every day he graced the halls of Morgan Academy. He was a student, a friend, an athlete, and most important, a Christ follower. There are no words to describe how we feel as a school community and family. We will come together and support Jamie, Arsella and Lyla with our whole hearts. We offer our deepest sympathy to the Tellier’s extended family as well. I want to thank all the schools and individuals that have reached out during this difficult time. Caden will never be forgotten for who he was and what he means to Morgan Academy.

Oliver stated that the school would cancel all athletic activities for the next week because of the sudden death tragedy.

Nearby Hooper Academy quoted the Psalms 147:3 Bible verse in a Facebook post: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

“Hooper Academy extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the family of Caden Tellier, a standout student-athlete at Morgan Academy who tragically lost his life after an injury Friday night," the school stated. "The AISA is truly a family, and we will stand in the gap in prayer for his friends, loved ones, and the entire student body of MAS in the days and weeks to come."

Auburn University football coach Hugh Freeze said at a press conference on Monday, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Caden Tellier over at Morgan Academy in Selma, and Coach (Jacob) Webb as they deal with the tragic loss of one of their teammates and a son. I just can’t imagine the difficulty that they’re going through. So our thoughts and prayers are with them."

Tellier threw a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in the first half before his injury, according to the Selma Times-Journal.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help cover medical and funeral expenses for the family. At the time of publication the crowdfunding campaign had raised more than $100,000.

"Caden is best known for his kindness, generosity, and love," the GoFundMe listing read. "True to his nature, he is giving of himself one more time to save the lives of others through the donation of his organs. His legacy will live on and we thank God that we had the opportunity to love him and be loved by him.

Alabama High School Athletic Association medical director James Robinson said football is "still safe."

Robinson told AL.com, "If you look at the data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, you will see that death rates remain at a fairly stable level. In 2023, there were 16 deaths at all levels. Ten were medically related, three were traumatic and three were not football-related or unknown. At the high school level, four were medically related and three were related to traumatic head injuries. This is out of 4.2 million participants at all levels."

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