High School Football Standout Dies After Mid-Game Head Knock

A high school sophomore and football standout died Wednesday, two weeks after sustaining a blow to the head during a game. Xavier McClain, a studen...

September 23, 2022
12:20 AM

A high school sophomore and football standout died Wednesday, two weeks after sustaining a blow to the head during a game. Xavier McClain, a student at Linden High School in New Jersey, 'suffered a traumatic brain injury while playing' a Big Central Conference game, Linden Mayor Derek Armstead wrote on Facebook. While authorities have not confirmed how Xavier sustained the fatal injury, a witness told NJ.com that the teenager sustained a blow to the head as he returned the second-half kickoff. Videos show that play stopped while an ambulance arrived on the sideline.

Rachel Olding