High school football player collapses then dies after practice, Missouri school says

A community in Missouri is reeling after a high school athlete died following football practice on Wednesday, reports say.

The Joplin High School football team practiced in an indoor gymnasium on Wednesday in an effort to beat the heat, KSNF reported. The team had just finished running conditioning drills when Kadin Roberts-Day, 16, collapsed, Ozarks First reported.

Emergency personnel arrived around 5:30 p.m. and rushed the sophomore to the hospital where school officials say he died of cardiac arrest, KSPR reported.

Joplin Superintendent Melinda Moss said Roberts-Day would be remembered as a “personable and caring student,” the Joplin Globe reported.

The school district said counseling will be available for students and staff struggling to make sense of the tragedy, the news outlet reported.

“Anytime we lose a student, regardless of the circumstances or the time of year, it’s tragic and we feel that loss and students and staff mourn that loss,” Moss said, according to KSNF.

Members of the Eagles football team, including Roberts-Day, had previously signed a jersey to be auctioned off at a charity golf tournament. The tournament’s organizers have since decided proceeds will go to Roberts-Day’s family and the jersey will be returned to the high school, according to a post shared on the team’s Facebook page.

The high school football program describes Roberts-Day as being a 6-foot-3 offensive lineman, according to the Globe.

Officials have not commented on whether the practice affected Roberts-Day’s health.

This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 8:12 AM.