The sudden death of Mississippi State University football player Sam Westmoreland has sent shockwaves through the university community.
However, the first year will never reach the age of 19. Westmoreland was indeed pronounced dead on Oct. 19, two days before his birthday, according to Mississippi State Athletics.
Captain Brett Watson of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office said police responded to a call at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Clarion Ledger.
According to Watson, Westmoreland was discovered dead outside the Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church.
There is no indication of wrongdoing.
“Sam was always smiling and that’s one of my memories of him. Whatever happened during practice was irrelevant. He always had a smile on his face when he arrived at the field house. He greeted you with a smile every day, Trent.” Hammond, a former coach at Tupelo High School, said.
The university withheld all information about his death.
The university said it is assisting the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office and the Oktibbeha County Coroner’s Office in the investigation of the teenager’s death in a release on the Mississippi State Athletics website.
“The unexpected death of Sam Westmoreland has left the Mississippi State athletic family in a state of dismay. Sam was a valued son, brother, and teammate who had unlimited potential, according to head football coach Mike Leach.”
Leach noted, “He will always be remembered and deeply missed by all who knew and loved him,” concluding, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Westmoreland family.”
My condolences to the Westmoreland family. tutored Sam during my first two years at Tupelo and coached him in soccer. An excellent teammate and friend who never hesitated to pick guys up. Sam always had a positive outlook and lots of enthusiasm. It’s been amazing to watch him develop Image Source: Coach Tereif Osborne (@Tereif) October 19, 2022
John Cohen, director of athletics at MSU, said the school was “heartbroken by the sudden loss of Sam Westmoreland.”
Mississippi State is a family and we are all grieving during this difficult time. “Everyone who knew and loved Sam is in our thoughts and prayers along with the Westmoreland family,” the spokesman said.
Westmoreland was 260 pounds and 6’4″ tall. His major was industrial technology.
Westmoreland is one of many athletes who have fallen ill recently.
A recent article in Science Direct stated that although SDA [sudden death in athletes] is a rare phenomenon, fresh evidence “suggests that it is probably more common than previously thought”.
According to the paper, finding common themes is difficult because it is difficult to get the right data to analyze the many cases across the country.
According to a 2009 circulation analysis that included 1,866 deaths in young athletes between 1986 and 2003, “sudden deaths were predominantly caused by cardiovascular disease,” accounting for 56 percent of deaths.
At the time, the study concluded: “The absolute number of sudden cardiovascular deaths among young American athletes was slightly higher than previous estimates, but still very low, at a rate of 100 per year. These findings support the need for systematic and reportable unexpected deaths in athletes.” to a national registry. These relate to ongoing discussions regarding pre-participation EKG [electrocardiogram] screening programs, according to the study.
His loss will undoubtedly be felt by the Mississippi State University community for a long time to come.