Oct 15, 2008 7:22 pm US/Eastern
NJ Student On Life Support After Football Injury
Montclair High Student-Athlete Ryne Dougherty 'Not Likely To Improve' After Collapsing On Field During Game
MONTCLAIR, N.J. (CBS) ―
A New Jersey teenager is on life-support after collapsing on the field during a high school football game.
At Montclair High School, students are heartbroken over what happened to one of their Junior Varsity football players, Ryne Dougherty, who was critically injured during a game with rivals Don Bosco Prep.
"We're just waiting...the waiting is the most difficult," said Principal Judith Weiss.
According to school officials, the 16-year-old collapsed Monday after tackling a player from the opposing team.
He was rushed to the Hackensack Medical Center, where he remained on life support Wednesday morning, with his parents and head coach by his side.
"He went down. The coaches thought he might have lost his breath for a minute. The trainer came on the field, got him up and he went down again and that's when we realized he was unconscious," said Weiss.
The junior is the third New Jersey student-athlete to face a life-threatening injury.
Back in August, a 13-year-old Waldwick boy and a 17-year-old Cliffside Park High Student died after both collapsed on the field.
Weiss says Dougherty, who's been diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, recently had a concussion but was cleared by doctors to come back play.
"There are case reports where catastrophic brain injuries do occur after previous concussions," says Dr. Kameno Bell, a Trauma Specialist who works with the New York Giants.
Bell says that while he's not familiar with Dougherty's case, even after an athlete's been cleared to play after a concussion, parents need to look for signs.
In the meantime, the Montclair football team will honor Dougherty by having his number printed on their back of their helmets.
School officials says Dougherty remains on life support and that doctors have told them his condition is not likely to improve.
At the high school, students are being offered counseling throughout the day so they can cope with this tragedy.
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