OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:27 PM – Thursday, August 8, 2024
A Virginia community is mourning the loss of 15-year-old Jayvion Taylor, a high school football player who died after suffering a heart attack during practice.
Taylor was just an hour into practice when he suddenly collapsed after returning from a water break.
“Our Hopewell High School staff, coaches, and the entire community continue to mourn the loss of one of our 10th-grade JV football players during practice yesterday,” said a school spokesperson. “Our focus today has been to provide a space for our staff and students to grieve. We respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time, but we do want to share that this 15-year-old young man was considered one of the most genuine and remarkable students our staff have ever worked with. He was considered a ‘light’ to all who met him and left a lasting impact.”
After coaches noticed that Taylor had collapsed, they rushed to provide him with aid, performing CPR and calling medical emergency services soon after.
Taylor was then rushed to a local hospital, where he was tragically pronounced dead.
“I thought he still was going to make it, and fight through this, because he’s one of the strongest people I know, I thought he was going to make it though it,” said classmate Chase Stith. “It didn’t matter who you were. If you were one of the most known people of the school, or if you were somebody who wasn’t talkative, he would try to get to know you and understand you.”
The school is now facing criticism for not having an athletic trainer on the field at the time of Taylor’s collapse. The previous occupant of the role was previously let go, and the high school had not yet hired a replacement.
“The district, which offered grief counseling and canceled classes the following day over AC concerns, responded in a statement by saying that athletic training services had been secured, but the contract start date is Aug. 12,” the Miami Herald reported.
Meanwhile, teammate Cory Seacat spoke to reporters and recalled the moments following Taylor’s collapse.
“I went to the back of the field, and I saw everybody around here,” he said. “[I] couldn’t get close to him. I heard it was Jay, we had to take a knee. They told us to get to the locker room. We just prayed.”
The school district has offered grief counseling to all staff and students who request it.
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