Autopsy shows Rolesville High School football player died from hit to head
ROLESVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Rolesville High School football player Isaiah Langston died from a hit to the back of the head while playing football, according to a newly released autopsy.
"The patient had a large posterior circulation stroke ... which most likely occurred secondary to vertebral dissection," the report says.
The official cause of death is listed as "complications of vertebral artery dissection due to blunt force injury of the head and neck."
Langston, 17, died Monday, September 29 after collapsing on the field before the team's Friday night football game, September 26.
The report shows Langston received the fatal injury two days before that game on September 24. He complained of a headache, but was in the pre-game warm up by Friday. During that warm-up, he fell on all fours. For a few minutes, he was awake and talking to trainers and then he "slumped onto his back and an AED [Automated External Defibrillator] was applied," the report said.
Langston was treated at WakeMed, but died at the hospital on Monday.
Immediately after Langston's death, Isaiah's brother told ABC11 that Isaiah's collapse had something to do with a blood clot in his brain.
He said Isaiah was an aspiring artist who hoped to attend an art school after graduation. He said Isaiah had the biggest heart and never met a stranger.
Langston's injury and death happened two weeks after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in Wake County promoting "Heads Up Football."
Among many areas of safety, the new nationally-developed program teaches tackling techniques that reduce helmet contact.
Click here for information on Heads Up Football.
Wake County Schools adopted the program over the summer. In a blog post on its website in June, the district said it was the first public school system in North Carolina to adopt the program.
Langston's autopsy report does not indicate whether he was wearing a helmet at the time of his injury.
