California high school football player collapses during game and dies

California high school football player collapses during game and dies

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Emmanuel Antwi, a senior student at John F. Kennedy High School, passed out during the game on Friday night and was rushed to a hospital, where he died, CNN affiliate KCRA reported.

The game was canceled after the collapse of Antwi, and the limited number of fans at the stadium was invited to withdraw.

“We don’t have a lot of details to share beyond that,” the Sacramento City Unified School District said in a press release. “Our hearts are with Emmanuel’s family and our school community during this difficult time. We ask everyone to give them privacy and time for healing and comfort while they suffer.”

The school was playing its first game of the football season, which was postponed since last year due to the pandemic. Sac-Joaquin Section of the California Interschool Federation, of which Kennedy High School is a member, tweeted a sympathy message to school.

“We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Kennedy High School football player Emmanuel Antwi. We are sending thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, teammates and everyone at @SCUSDKennedy,” the district wrote in its message.

First game of the season

A GoFundMe page was created to help Antwi’s mother to cover funeral expenses and help look after her two other children. Organizers said Antwi was 18 years old.

“After waiting months due to Covid, the first football game of the season has finally arrived! He just told his football coach that he finally got his driver’s license. He was very excited,” wrote the organizers.

“Emmanuel ‘Manny’ was loved by many and was a great young man and was definitely too young to die,” they added.

On Sunday afternoon, the fundraiser raised more than $ 27,000, exceeding its target of $ 20,000. The organizers expressed gratitude, saying that they received an “overwhelming” amount of love and support.

“No amount of money can bring Manny back, but it can take some of the stress off his mother’s shoulders,” they wrote.

Student support

A district spokesman told KCRA that a designated trauma response team will be available to the school community after Antwi’s death.

The team “will accompany them in the coming days to help them cope and mentally process this incident,” said the spokesman.

The school also sent a letter to the students’ families, saying that school counselors and the mental health support team will hold virtual mourning sessions at Zoom.

As soon as football training resumes, counselors will also be available in person, according to the school district.

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