Routine Knee Surgery Turns Tragic When High School Football Player Dies
High school football lineman Trevon Tyler went in the hospital last month for follow-up surgery after doctors had repaired a damaged knee.
But due to complications, the Michigan high school junior died the day after Thanksgiving.
Tyler, who injured his knee in October, had been recovering from that initial operation, South Lyon East High School’s head football coach, Joe Pesci, said.
“I guess he had to go back in, to get something cleaned up,” Pesci told the Detroit Free Press.
“They said that went well. They took care of everything. Everybody went on break. He was in good spirits. I guess, Thursday night, maybe late, he developed a blood clot. And Friday morning, we were told he developed a blood clot, which led to a heart attack, and he passed away Friday morning,” Pesci said.
“It’s somewhat mind-boggling that it could happen,” he added.
A GoFundMe page set up for Tyler’s family said the 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman died “due to a complication of that surgery.”
“He wasn’t just a player respected by his coaches and teammates he was a friend and student loved by so many here at South Lyon East High School and in the South Lyon Community. More importantly, he was a son, a brother and loved family member. He will be missed by his family, teammates, coaches and everyone who was blessed to have known him,” the page said.
Pesci said he reached out to his players after Tyler’s death, and many of them gathered at the school.
“It was tough,” he told the Free Press.
“The guys start coming in. All you want to do is hug each one of them and tell them that you love them. We hugged every kid on the way in, and then on the way out it was the same thing. You are still kind of numb and don’t know what to do. We just want to make sure we are there for our kids.”
The coach, as well as other school and team officials, tried to help Tyler’s teammates through the grieving process.
“We just expressed to our guys, ‘We are all hurting. You are going to be hurting for a while. The big thing is, don’t keep it in. Make sure as feelings start to build up, reach out to one of us, to a teammate, a parent, whatever. Just to get it out,'” Pesci said.
Pesci said that the team will not forget Tyler.
“Zander Desentz, our quarterback, stood up and talked to the guys about how bad it hurts right now, but from here on out, we dedicate everything to Tre,” Pesci said. “And think about everything we are going to do. The offseason. Whether it’s getting up to go to weights. You have no excuse. It was a pretty good message from him.”
Tyler was an outstanding person, the coach emphasized.
“As a kid, just the nicest, most fun-loving, caring kid,” Pesci said. “Walked with a pretty big pep in his step. He always said hi to everybody. Everybody loved him. He was a little bit of a jokester. Had this big laugh. Always made you smile. As a player, he was a big body for us. He was getting better every game.”
Offensive line coach Chad Stuckey said Tyler, who he believed would have played college football had he lived, had all the characteristics the school tries to instill in its athletes.
“We have a saying at East,” Stuckey told the Free Press. “It’s called Be EAST. We tell the kids, ‘Be Engaged, Be Accountable, Be Selfless and Be Tough.’ “
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