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Florida football player dies after collapsing at practice

Posted at 12:27 PM, Oct 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-09 15:29:22-04

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- A football player at Warner University in Polk County, Florida died after collapsing at practice Tuesday.

The university sent out a press release saying that Theodore "Boobie" Hammonds collapsed after a non-contact football drill at practice.

The school says members of the athletic training staff were on hand and immediately provided emergency care.

Polk EMS responded and took Theo to Lake Wales Medical Center, but he was unable to recover and passed away at the hospital.

Warner University released the following statement on the incident:

Warner University places the highest priority on the health and safety of its students and student athletes. Certified athletic trainers were on hand at the time that the athlete collapsed and provided immediate emergency care. The cause of Theo's collapse and ultimate death are not currently known, and it would be inappropriate to speculate regarding the cause of death at this time.

On behalf of Warner University and our faculty, staff, coaches and trainers, we offer our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to Theo's family, friends and teammates in this difficult and uncertain time. We are devastated by his passing. We have made a Warner University Care Team available to provide compassion, support and counseling to members of our community. We know that our students, coaches and staff are in the hearts, prayers and minds of this community, and we thank you for your continued love and support.

The cause of Hammonds' death is unknown at this time.

This story was originally published by WFTS.