Teen Football Player Dies After Injury During Junior Varsity Game

CARTHAGE, NY — Reports are citing a head injury sustained during a high school football game as leading to the death of Tyler Christman, a 14-year-old freshman at Carthage Central High School in upstate New York.

Christman suffered a serious brain injury amid a junior varsity game Saturday in West Genesee, WWNY reported over the weekend. While it was unclear exactly how the injury occurred, the teenager had bleeding in the frontal cortex of his brain and massive brain swelling, a family member told the news outlet.

By Tuesday morning, family members said the boy had died.

“There are no words to express how much we admire and love you,” Tyler’s father, Jason Christman, wrote in an emotional post on Facebook.

Jason Christman said his son “strived to be good at everything he does.”

“You have experienced and done more in your 14 short years than most do in a lifetime,” he continued in his Facebook tribute. “You have always been a "WATCH ME" kind of kid. And boy have we always loved watching you.”

Words and actions of support for Tyler began coming in shortly after his injury on Saturday. Social media posts from other schools in the area wished for his recovery, as family members later remembered his drive to succeed.

“Your life was lived a mile a minute,” Tyler’s aunt, Faith Parks, wrote on Facebook.

Parks visited West Genesee High School, where Tyler got injured, on Monday to assure their players that what happened wasn’t anyone’s fault, Syracuse.com reported.

Students across Jefferson County wore red, Carthage’s school color, on Monday in honor of Tyler, photos posted to various local media outlets show.

Carthage Central High School, in a statement to WWNY, said it would have counselors available early this week for students impacted by what happened to Tyler.

Carthage Central Superintendent Jennifer Premo said the school is “saddened by the tragic football injury” Tyler suffered. Premo did not immediately respond to a Patch request for comment after the news of Tyler’s death broke on Tuesday.

An official cause and manner of death for Tyler had not been released by the Onondega County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday. An official with the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office, which includes Carthage, told Patch the case was not in their jurisdiction.

Tyler’s death comes amid a growing national discussion surrounding young people playing tackle football.

Earlier in the summer, pro football Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre joined calls against tackle football for anyone younger than 14 in a public service announcement in partnership with the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

“I'm not going to encourage them in any way to play,” Favre said.