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A Nebraska high school football player has died at 16 just minutes into the first practice of the season.
Drake Geiger, an offensive and defensive tackle at Omaha South High School, became ill just 10 minutes into practice with the heat index in the area over 100 degrees, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Geiger, who was 6-foot-3, 389-pounds, had his body temperature reach 122 degrees. He did not have any previously known medical conditions.
“He just didn’t pull through,” his father Scott Hoffman said. “They said his body temperature was extremely elevated and they couldn’t get it down. He was a big kid, but he was a healthy kid. The doctor came and said, ‘It is not looking good, he is extremely overheated. His organs were working so hard to cool down.
“He didn’t deserve this. He had his whole life ahead of him. I just wish this didn’t happen.”
The school confirmed Geiger’s death in a letter to parents.
“We have been in contact with Drake’s family and conveyed our heartfelt sympathy and support,” Principal Jodi Pesek wrote, via KMTV. “Many in our community will be affected by this news. South High is a tight-knit community, and we are here for one another.”
Our deepest condolences go out to Geiger’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult and tragic time.
