An Alabama high school football player died Friday night from a brain injury. Caden Tellier was the starting quarterback for Morgan Academy in Selma, part of the Alabama Independent School Association.

Bessemer Academy in central Alabama is also part of AISA. BA athletics staff said safety preparations for football coaches and players begin well in advance of the season.

Mitch Grissett, athletic director at Bessemer Academy, said coaches take a training course before the season.

“I’ve been doing this for 27 years and 27 years ago it was very different. Now we’ve learned a lot about how to look after kids, how to look after their bodies and how to devise drills to reduce impact and minimise injuries because the sad thing is it’s still a contact sport,” said Dal Davis, BA’s head football coach.

Alabama law requires every sports or recreational organization to ensure that coaches undergo annual training to learn how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion and how to seek appropriate medical treatment for someone suspected of having a concussion.

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Although coaches are trained, they urge players to communicate when they are not feeling well.

“We rely a lot on player communication,” Grissett said. “That’s one of the things we ask the players to do is communicate with us how they’re feeling, so if there’s something, we take them out of the game right away.”

Bessemer Academy has athletic trainers on the sidelines and at their players’ practices to help recognize and respond to injuries. Grissett said that’s not a requirement, but something they make a priority at BA.

All AISA football coaches are required to undergo training on football tactics, concussions in sports, prevention of heat illnesses and cardiac arrest.