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Evan Murray Cause Of Death: Coroner Reveals What Killed High School Football Player

By Patricia Didelot
Published on: 03:47 PST, Sep 29, 2015

Evan Murray’s cause of death was revealed by the coroner in charge of the case after determining what killed the high school quarterback who died after taking a hit during a high school game.

The New Jersey high school quarterback died Friday night of injuries sustained during a varsity football game, school officials announced. At the time, it was not known if Evan Murray’s cause of death was due to an underlying health condition.

According to an Evan Murray GoFundMe page set up to help the family with medical and funeral expenses, the senior at Warren Hills Regional High School in New Jersey was hit in the backfield during a tackle and suffered life-threatening injuries.

William Heerwagen, 17, a classmate of the late football player who has also been a teammate for several years but was not on the field that day, said the tackle looked “normal,” NBC News reported. Heerwagen said Murray was on the ground “for about a minute” while coaching staff attended him, but he later got up and walked under his own power.

However, when he got to the sidelines, “he kind of stumbled and then when I looked over he was on the ground” again,” the 17-year-old said.

“We thought at worse it was a concussion and we’d see him Monday,” Heerwagen added.

However, it was not to be. On Tuesday, the coroner reported on Evan Murray’s cause of death. According to CBS News, the report shows the quarterback died from a cut on his spleen.

“The autopsy determined that the cause of death was massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage (massive internal bleeding) due to a laceration of the spleen.

“…(Murray’s spleen) was abnormally enlarged thus making it more susceptible to injury. There was no evidence of head trauma or heart disease. The manner of death was accidental.”

In the wake of the horrific tragedy, Evan Murray’s family has received an outpouring of support from the local community. Even New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the New Jersey Jets football team have tweeted messages of condolences.

Evan Murray died after being hit during the third game of the season against Summit High School. He had been the varsity team’s quarterback for the past three years, starting his sophomore year.

The family announced that Evan’s funeral and visitation will take place Wednesday starting at 9 p.m. at Faith Discovery Church in Washington Township, according to Leigh Valley Live. Evan Murray’s funeral is set for Thursday at 11 a.m. at the same church.

The Evan Murray GoFundMe account has raised more than $50,000 in three days, and the family has been overwhelmed by the support from friends and perfect strangers who have been deeply touched by their tragedy. On Monday, when Evan’s classmates returned to class, they paid tribute to their late friend by putting flowers on his parking spot at the high school.

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One of those most devastated by Evan Murray’s death is his girlfriend, Bailey Reyes, who took to Instagram to express her sadness.

“September 25, 2015 will forever be the worst day of my life. I lost the love of my life because of a football accident.”

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Evan Murray was a very successful athlete who not only played varsity football but baseball and basketball. In his obituary, Evan is described by those who knew him as a bright young man who was also an excellent student and caring person.

[Image via Facebook]

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