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High School Football Player Dies From Injury

A high school football player from Kentucky died after sustaining an injury in his team's spring exhibition game
James Parks|
High School Football Player Dies From Injury
High School Football Player Dies From Injury

The high school football community in Kentucky is mourning the loss of a Pulaski County High School running back who died after a freak accident in a spring game.

Running back Andrew Dodson suffered a severe brain injury in an exhibition contest on Friday and died of his injuries three days later.

Dodson's father said the tackle was clean and that no one was to blame for the tragedy.

"It was not a violent hit or helmet-to-helmet. It was a simple, clean tackle," Dodson told Kentucky.com.

"His head hit the turf and Andrew suffered blunt-force trauma to the brain.

"He had a major surgery to relieve the pressure and has never awakened. He has been fight(ing) for his life on total life support."

An online effort called Prayers for Andrew spread across Kentucky after Dodson's injury became public knowledge on Friday, with over 500 people responding online.

"No words can explain, justify, or rationalize tragedies such as these," the KHSAA said in a statement. "We only ask for peace and comfort to all around him."

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responded by saying, "We are heartbroken by this tragedy."

(Kentucky.com)

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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