Football Player’s Death Causes Increased Safety Measures

Some Florida high schools are working to increase safety measures following the death of a Gulf County football player earlier this season.

The county plans to incorporate mandatory hands-on CPR training for all football coaches, the county athletic director said. 

Chance Gainer, 18, a Port St. Joe football player, died Sept. 6 after collapsing during a game against Liberty County High School. 

“You don’t want that to happen to any kid,” Gulf County Athletic Director Bobby Johns said. “Especially someone that you know.”

As a former football coach at Wewahitchka High School, Johns said he once had a student become paralyzed due to a neck injury during a game. This experience led to Johns’ desire to ensure the safety of students in Gulf County. 

He said he doesn’t think training could have prevented Gainer’s incident. However, he is rolling out plans to increase safety training for football coaches by making hands-on CPR training mandatory. 

These improvements to safety training will be implemented next football season for coaches throughout Gulf County. 

Ian Scott, a former NFL player and current Gainesville High School football coach, said he tries to err on the side of caution. 

“I want to be able to send our kids home in the same state they arrived in,” Scott said. 

One step he uses to keep his athletes safe is the Florida High School Athletic Association football contact procedure. This is outlined in the FHSAA Football Sports Manual 2024-25 Edition. 

The levels of contact are defined as “AIR,” “BAG” and “THUD”. These terms describe the increasing levels of contact that football players are allowed to participate in high school practices. 

“AIR” refers to drills with zero contact involved. “BAG” drills incorporate bags or other soft surfaces. “THUD” drills simulate live contact by requiring contact only above the waist. 

This process is used to ease players into contact drills with the intention of limiting heat stroke and cardiac arrest as well as to reduce the risk of concussions. 

GHS football games, along with other schools in the area, are also staffed with physical trainers from UF Health, Scott said. 

He said two graduate student athletic trainers are sent to each home game to provide care for players if needed. One trainer is also present at practice every day.

 Calvin Thomas, a football player for GHS, said learning of Gainer’s death caused him to reflect on the dangers of the game he loves. 

“I always try to avoid a position that could put me at risk of an injury,” Thomas, 17, said. “Especially since it’s my senior year; I think I’m extra cautious.”

He said his team takes precautions throughout the year beginning in the summer during conditioning. At peak times of heat, they practice without pads to limit the heat trapped against their bodies. This method is used to reduce the potential for heat stroke. 

Another tool used by Thomas and his team are cold water immersion tubs that are set up at each practice in case an athlete has a heat stroke. The ice reduces players’ internal body temperature. 

Dr. Jason Zaremski, a sports medicine specialist and clinical professor at UF, said major injuries like heat stroke and concussions are serious but far less common than others. 

He said he remembers seeing common sprains the most while working as an athletic trainer. 

“Injury comes with sport,” Zaremski said. His solution is to condition, lift weights, eat and sleep the right way. Using proper technique and form is essential for reducing injuries as minor as a sprain or as serious as a concussion, he said. 

Since its debut in the NFL, calls have come from athletes and parents across the U.S. to incorporate Guardian Caps into the standard equipment required for a high school athlete. 

Guardian Caps, manufactured by Guardian Sports, are a soft-shell helmet cover. The purpose is to reduce the impact of hits to the head with the hope of eliminating brain injuries for football players. 

Zaremski said that while data is still being recorded, his colleagues are optimistic about the future of Guardian Caps. 

“If these things are effective and reduce injury,” he said, “I think they need to be everywhere.”