Coroner Rules on Football Player’s Death

SANTA ANA —  The county coroner has ruled that severe head and neck trauma killed a 17-year-old high school football quarterback in a September game against Costa Mesa High School.

Adrian Taufaasau, who played for Coronado High School, never regained consciousness after being tackled by Costa Mesa players Sept. 20 at Newport Harbor High School. He was pronounced dead two days later at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

Coroner investigators said Thursday they could not determine an exact play that killed Taufaasau or whether it was cumulative injuries suffered throughout the game.

“Apparently this youngster was tackled a number of times during this game,” said Deputy County Coroner Cullen Ellingburgh. “I don’t know if they specifically put it to one tackle or not. . . . He was hit a number of times.”

Department investigators and neuropathologists performed toxicology tests, examined damaged spinal tissue and reviewed a tape of the game to reach their conclusion. The teen’s death certificate was amended Thursday to indicate the official cause.

The nearly four-month investigation ended speculation that Taufaasau died of a preexisting heart condition or seizures. The high school senior reportedly suffered epilepsy as a child but had not had a seizure in several years.

“There doesn’t seem to be any predisposition as to why this occurred,” Ellingburgh said.

The news was difficult, but not unexpected, for school officials in Coronado, a San Diego enclave.

“I can tell you the actual cause doesn’t make me feel any different,” said Rene Townsend, a spokeswoman for the Coronado Unified School District. “It’s tragic, and we continue to mourn Adrian’s loss. He was integral to things. He’s always in people’s minds and hearts.”

Jerry Howell, who coaches the Costa Mesa Mustangs, said he and his players extend condolences to Taufaasau’s family and friends but are moving forward.

“We have already talked about it,” Howell said. “We’ve talked about life and death and how it’s a terrible tragedy and we cannot do anything about it.”

Howell said he does not want his team members to feel responsible since they played by the rules and the accidental death was not linked to a specific play. “Life goes on with teenage kids, and they come to grips with the fact that this could happen and did happen in a game.”

Taufaasau was one of three high school athletes from Southern California to die in sports-related incidents last fall.

Eric Hoggatt, a football player from Reseda High School, never woke up after going to bed after a Sept. 22 game, and Saddleback High School water polo player Jaffet Campos had a fatal heart attack in the pool Sept. 4.