BROCTON, N.Y. (AP) — The teammates of a high school football player in upstate New York who died after being injured in a game have voted to end their season early.
Damon Janes was injured during the third quarter of Westfield-Brocton’s Sept. 13 against Portville. He was able to get on his feet but lost consciousness on the sidelines. He died three days later and an exact cause of death has not been released.
Concern about hard hits among has brought renewed attention to concussion management and a national initiative to teach the “Heads Up” tackling technique. A recent study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found an average of 12 high school and college players die annually.
Damon’s was at least the fifth high school football death this season. But his was the only team to cancel the season because of it.
Teammate Joey Villafrank says, “Now I realize that there’s more than just playing the game.”
