Football player dies of head injury received in practice at West Virginia middle school

MADISON, W.Va. — A 13-year-old football player in West Virginia died over the weekend after receiving a head injury in practice, his father said.

Madison Middle School defensive lineman Cohen Craddock was hurt while making a tackle on Friday. The eighth grader suffered from brain bleeding and swelling and was taken to a hospital, where he died Saturday, Ryan Craddock told news outlets.

After the collision, Cohen Craddock got back up, took a few steps, then lost consciousness. His oxygen level was low while he was in the ambulance, his father said.

“You wish it was a bad dream you could wake up from,” Ryan Craddock said.

In a statement, Boone County Schools Superintendent Matthew Riggs said counseling and other support services were being offered this week to Madison Middle School students, faculty and staff.

Madison Middle School Principal Shann Elkins said Cohen “was a wonderful, polite, and smart young man who was an important part of our school family.”

Ryan Craddock said he plans to work toward getting other players soft-shell helmet covers known as Guardian caps.

“I want to take the loss of my boy to try to protect the other guys,” he said. “I don’t want anybody else to go through what we are going through currently.”