PITTSBURGH — A teen died after collapsing during practice, leaving teammates and coaches shocked.
“It’s my first time looking at the field since yesterday… It’s a weird feeling. It’s very painful,” Jason Johnson told Channel 11.
Coach Jason Johnson thought back to all the times he coached Jaiquawn Jay at the football field behind Turner School in Wilkinsburg.
Jaiquawn was a running back and linebacker for the Wilkinsburg Hornets. This year, he was one of the team captains.
“He was on his way, getting better every year. Getting tall, coming into his teenage body size, so he was on his way to a bright future,” Johnson said.
But that future was cut short last night after Jaiquawn collapsed at a basketball practice at Imani Christian Academy, where he went to school. He was rushed to Children’s Hospital, where he died. It’s unclear what exactly caused him to collapse.
“I was pretty numb for the most part, and this morning it really hit me kinda hard,” he added.
Johnson posted Jaiquawn’s photo on social media and said words couldn’t express the pain he was feeling after learning about the teen’s death.
“Just tears. Pain. Even as I was making my Facebook post, I was literally drowning in tears making it, just looking at his picture,” Johnson said.
He plans to dedicate next year’s season to Jaiquawn.
“We are going to live through the memories and make sure we do what’s right for Jay this upcoming year.”
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