Teen football player dies after collapsing minutes into training

A teenage boy has died after he collapsed 10 minutes into a football practice.

Drake Geiger, 16, was practising for Omaha South High School’s football team, in the US state of Nebraska, on Tuesday, according to a GoFundMe page made by his sister Brittany.

Drake was rushed to hospital after he fell to the ground with a heat-related medical emergency. It was 32 degrees celsius. Omaha Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Fitzgerald said he had a pulse when medics arrived but had to be rushed to hospital.

Brittany wrote doctors tried procedures in an attempt to revive him.

“With great sadness they were not able to save him,” she wrote.

Drake’s dad Scott Hoffman told KMTV he received a call from the football coach at about 4.30pm who told him the teen had collapsed 10 minutes into practise.

Mr Hoffman rushed to hospital and was told his son had a temperature of 50 degrees.

He watched people work on his son to try and revive him but Drake died about an hour later.

“Last night the hardest part was being alone and seeing his room,” he said.

“That just hurt a lot."

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Drake’s dad told Omaha World-Herald his son was big but was a “healthy kid”. He weighed 176kg and was more than 190cm tall.

The teen’s mum Chantell wrote on Facebook doctors believe he suffered heat stroke.

South High principal Jodi Pesek notified parents, students and faculty of Drake’s death in an email on Wednesday. Counsellors were made available at the school if students wanted to talk.

An Omaha Public Schools spokeswoman said the district was investigating the events that led to Drake’s death and had no further comment.

with The Associated Press

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