Georgia HS Football Player Dylan Thomas Dies at Age 16 After Head Injury

Georgia high school football player Dylan Thomas died Sunday night after suffering a head injury during a game on Friday, according to Marlena Baldacci, Devon M. Sayers and Eric Levenson of CNN. 

The 16-year-old linebacker for Pike County High School came out of the game with an injury before passing out on the sidelines. He was initially brought to WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital and then Grady Hospital in Atlanta before dying two days later.

Despite the severity of the injury, it is not yet known exactly when in the game between the Pike County and Peach County High School Thomas' injury occurred.

"We're in a constant process of evaluating the entire thing to see if we can pinpoint one area that maybe this occurred," head coach Brad Webber said. "There wasn't anything that really stuck out."

"He was an incredible young man with work ethic that you can't believe," Webber said of Thomas. "He was the heart and soul of our defense. Just great student, great family, and the sky was gonna be the limit for him."

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, 13 people died from playing football in 2017, including both direct and indirect fatalities, all at either the high school or college level. Three of the direct deaths attributed to either brain or spinal cord injuries occurred during a game, while the others took place during practice or conditioning.