Sadness engulfs Fort Scott football program as Williams dies following on-field collapse

FORT SCOTT — Fort Scott Community College was rocked Friday with the news of the passing of one of its student-athletes.

After collapsing during practice on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 19-year-old Fort Scott freshman lineman Tirrell Williams died on Friday, according to an announcement on the school's Facebook page. The school had not released any prior information related to Williams' on-field practice collapse 16 days earlier.

Williams was a 6-foot-4, 316-pound defensive lineman, hailing from Louisiana.

"Our Greyhound family has suffered a devastating loss," Friday's statement read. "We send all our prayers, love and support to the family of Tirrell Williams, who passed away this afternoon after collapsing during football practice on Aug. 4. We will do everything we can to support Tirrell’s family and our student-athletes through this tragedy."

While he declined to divulge any details regarding the timeline of the events that led to Williams' death, second-year Fort Scott coach Carson Hunter indicated that the players and staff were in a collective state of shock. Hunter told The Tribune Friday evening that he was "skeptical" that he would be able to grant any interviews in the coming days.

"The biggest thing we're trying to figure out right now is the climate of our kids who are still here," he said. "We're trying to make sure we're working hand-in-hand with Tirrell's family, helping them."

Hunter noted that since his collapse Williams, had been progressing under doctors' care.

"We love Tirrell, we love his family," Hunter said. "We know he's in a better place now. We're just praying for him — praying for our kids."

Hunter called it a "tragic and unfortunate part of our story."

"But it ain't going to be the end of it here," he said. "What I'm counting on is just helping these guys through this."

Fort Scott freshman wide receiver Semaj James provided The Tribune with a first-hand account of the fateful Aug. 4 practice, as well as other details surrounding the grim situation.

James said players took part in their normal stretching routine at the beginning of the afternoon practice. Shortly thereafter, the offense and defense broke up into separate groups on opposite sides of the field as they began going over plays and participating in drills, according to James.

James turned and witnessed his teammate on the ground at the opposite end of the field. He then overheard offensive coaches speculating that Williams was on the ground due to fatigue.

"But I don't think they knew what happened," said James, who initially thought Williams had "caught a cramp."

"But then I saw him on the ground for a little bit longer," he said. "So that's when I started getting concerned. I started asking 'what's wrong with him?'"

James said they didn't do a huge amount of running at the Aug. 4 practice. While it was very humid, the temperature was slightly milder than normal, with a high of 85.

'We ran way more on other days than what we did that day," James said. "That was a jog-through day."

James said players were informed of the news after the coaching staff held a meeting at the school's theater late Friday afternoon.

"And we prayed about it," he said, noting that he and Williams had recently become friends. "I was shocked, it was very overwhelming. Everybody was crying, it was sad."

James said that it was frustrating to receive the somber news. He said that to this point in his football career, he's never experienced anything of that nature.

"Last time I heard something like that was Maryland," he said, referring to the tragic 2018 death of University of Maryland lineman Jordan McNair. McNair died 15 days after suffering heat stroke related to an offseason workout.

James, who has been on campus for only a month, said he trusts the coaching staff and believes that they followed proper practice protocols.

"I don't really know them, but at the same time I can say that I do trust what they do," he said. "It gets hot — and it's football. We've had people quit because the work's too hard."

James said his fallen teammate's situation was "way different than just being mental."

"It was something that I don't think any of us could control," he said. "It still hasn't hit me yet."

Due to Williams' death, the team canceled an intra-squad scrimmage slated for Saturday, Aug. 21, as well as other team-related activities.

The National Junior College Athletic Association handbook states that all players must have completed a successful physical exam prior to the first day of practice on Aug. 2. Helmets and pads were barred from practice Aug. 2-8. From Aug. 9-15, players were able to begin practicing with helmets, but pads were not allowed until Aug. 16.

The handbook states that the first three days of practice are considered a conditioning period, as contact between players is barred. Further, it states that during that three-day period, only one three-hour practice is allowed and that student-athletes are not allowed to engage in more than three hours of on-field practice activities a day.

The first day permissible to hold a camp was Aug. 2, so Fort Scott’s Aug. 4 session would have fallen into that three-day window. It's unclear at this point if the NJCAA or any other authorities will launch an investigation into Williams' death or the events that led up to it.