A quarterback at a New Jersey high school died after sustaining an injury in a varsity football game, school officials said. Evan Murray, a senior at Warren Hills Regional High School, died Friday night, according to a statement from Gary Bowen, interim superintendent of schools.
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Murray passed away late Friday after he took a fatal hit by an opposing player during the game against Summit late in the second quarter.
The 17-year-old star player felt “woozy” after the tackle but tried reassuring his teammates he would be fine as he was lifted on a gurney and rushed to the hospital, witnesses told the Daily News.
“He tried giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the team, and all of us cheered,” said Kaitlin Bell, 16, a junior varsity cheerleader at Warren Hills High School. He wound up passing away shortly after the game.
The actual cause of death is still not clear.
A GoFundMe page that was created to help the family raise money had collected more than $12,000 has so far.
He served as varsity quarterback since sophomore year and was a varsity baseball pitcher and varsity basketball player. His cousin, Danielle Killgore Hobson, told NBC News that Evan was “an amazing kid.”
The News of Evan’s death reached across the entire state of New Jersey, as Governor Chris Christie tweeted “On behalf of all the people of New Jersey, Mary Pat and I send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the Murray family on the loss of Evan.” The New York Jets also sent their condolences, tweeting “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Evan Murray”.
RIP Evan Murray. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
