Bogan HS football player’s death caused by ‘blunt from head injuries’ during

A Chicago football player from Bogan High School, on the city’s South side, died last week after sustaining a head injury during a game.

Smith’s death came just six days after Cam’ron Matthews of Alto High in Texas died after collapsing on the field a day earlier, and almost a month after Warren Hills Regional senior Evan Murray died from a lacerated spleen suffered in a game against Summit High.

Seventeen-year-old Andre Smith fell unconscious Thursday night at the end of the Bogan and CVS game. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 6:10 a.m. Friday, the medical examiner’s office said. Smith “was running and a guy blocked him, hit him pretty good and that was it”, Stagg Stadium announcer Jimmy Smith told the publication. He was breathing at the time, but not conscious, according to fire officials.

According to the Illinois High School Association, Smith’s death is the first in the state since 2012 when a player from Hall High in Spring Valley died from an enlarged heart.

“You understand the risks but it’s a game, you know, it’s a game”, Smith’s stepfather, Dwayne, said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines Sunday aimed at improving the safety of youth football, played by more than a million American kids. He added grief counselors are at Bogan to provide counseling for students.

Smith had attended Rich Central until previous year when he transferred to Bogan and has been living with a family friend in Chicago.