New Jersey high school QB, Evan Murray, dies after football injury

I had to hold back tears this morning after I learned about the death of a high school star quarterback who died after suffering an injury during a game Friday night.  From what I have learned thus far, Evan Murray, was taken from the field in an ambulance after he was hit during the second quarter.  Various media outlets including the Daily News, Fox and Washington Times all reported about the incident.  Additionally, New Jersey’s governor Chris Christie, expressed condolences in a tweet that was posted at 11:56 AM on September 26th.  In it he said, “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.”

What happened to Evan is unclear.  Some suggest he might have suffered a heart attack.  What’s clear is he died playing a game that involves risk.  As does life.  Some of the responses to the Governor Christie’s tweet call for all high school sports to be banned.  Of course, it’s natural for people to get very emotional at times like this and expressing extreme postures are not uncommon.  For example, after a school shooting very often people will declare their outrage about gun laws.

Each week I write a column for Double G Sports which focuses on the weekend trends in sports.  It’s called “Monday Morning Michelle” and the goal is to highlight some of what’s been trending in sports over the prior weekend.  There’s no shortage of material, especially during football season.  This past weekend, after the Giants came out on top during the Thursday night game, Rutgers also managed to beat Kansas.  The Jets lost but that loss meant that the Eagles won, so many in New Jersey were pleased with the outcome.  And in baseball, the Mets clinched a playoff spot.

None of what’s trending in sports matters more than Evan Murray.  As we pause to remember Evan, perhaps we might want to take a moment to think about how it’s so important to value people more than sports.   Taking time to focus on those who truly matter might mean you have to put your fantasy thoughts aside for a moment.  This young man will not be able to prepare for his next game, fantasy or otherwise.  To those who knew Evan, I join Governor Christie in expressing heartfelt sympathy.

As sad as I am about the loss of Evan’s life, you won’t see me calling for riddance of high school sports.  As Nelson Mandela so often said, “Sport has the power to change the world.”  There are lots of things more dangerous than football.  Of course, it’s so important that all safety precautions be followed so that the lives of our youth are protected.  As we learn more about what lead to Evan’s death, hopefully we will come to find that all that could have been done to prevent this tragedy was done.  Sometimes life involves risk and sadly sometimes accidents happen, both on and off the field.  Hopefully, nobody is going to be playing ‘Monday Morning QB’ when it comes to safety precautions, because sometimes there is no room for second guessing, and life is so much more important than any game.