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The home opener for AISA team Morgan Academy, which should have been a joyous win, became a tragic reminder of how quickly a single moment can change lives. 

The Selma school’s quarterback, Caden Tellier was injured in the third quarter of the game against Southern Academy. The 16-year-old would be life-flighted to a UAB children’s hospital, where he would pass from a head injury, according to reporting from the Selma Times-Journal. 

Morgan Academy will be playing at Chambers Academy on Sept. 27, in what will undoubtedly be an emotional game for both sides. I encourage our community to come out to show their support for the Rebels who will be confronted with competing against a grieving team. But especially for the Senators, who will be continuing their season without their quarterback. 

Let Chambers show them the love and grace I have seen from this community countless times.

I don’t foresee a world where football is not played. It is for better, worse, or neither a pillar in small communities, like Selma and Chambers. Sports in general, but football in particular, is one of the few things in life that transcends. It takes us out of the day-to-day into the extraordinary. 

I understand communities and even young kids not wanting to lose that. However, that transcendent feeling can so easily come crashing down. 

A tragic accident is hard to swallow in any scenario because there is no fault to put on anyone, and no blame to give. It seems cruelly random. That does not mean there is nothing to learn or improve on. To all the sporting goods companies, product developers and sporting organizations like AISA and AHSAA: invest in safety. 

This game is and has never been worth losing a life. I can’t make a ruling on this issue, but I implore those in power to make changes. 

I don’t care if the game is a little slower, pads and helmets bulkier, or hits less impactful. Brains don’t stop developing until well into your 20s. These kids play for their high schools, places that are supposed to help those brains develop. It shouldn’t take a tragedy for us to realize we need to stop messing with this process and get serious about protecting young athletes.

Better equipment and training cannot bring back Caden or the other lives lost while playing. It can’t undo CTE or other traumatic brain injuries. It can’t undo the trauma of the other young athletes who played in that game on Friday night. What it can do is ensure this does not happen again. 

If football unites, tragedy binds. There has been an outpouring of support from other AISA schools, including Springwood School and Chambers Academy. National news has been covering the stories of Morgan Academy’s rival schools sending prayers to the school and asking for their communities to donate to the gofundme: Honoring Caden Tellier’s Memory.

The Tellier family is religious and Morgan Academy is an AISA school. The school has asked for prayers for the family. 

I did not know Caden or even know Morgan County until Friday. But it is clear from the way his school and family have written about him, he was a special person. Just as he gave his energy and body on the gridiron, so too did he in the hospital. In a post from Caden’s mother, Arsella said her son was an organ donor. 

She writes, “We continue to pray for those whose lives will be forever changed by his gifts. Our hope is that God will be glorified through our story, His love will be evident, and that Caden’s impact will touch the lives of many.”

His impact has just begun.