David Coleman Dead: Jay County Panthers Semi-Pro Football Player Dies After Hit During Charity Game

Semipro Football Player Dies In Charity Game

A semi-pro football player died Saturday after suffering a fatal hit in the middle of a game for charity.

The Toledo Blade reports that 32-year-old David Coleman Jr. of the Jay County (Ind.) Panthers was injured in an afternoon contest against the Northwest Ohio Knights at Springfield High School. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

WTVG-TV in Toledo adds that according to teammates, Coleman was blindsided while attempting to make a tackle on a punt return. The Blade notes that the game was a nonleague fundraiser called the Dave Calabrese Football Blitz -- an event honoring the Knights coach who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The Panthers are a part of the Indianapolis-based Crossroads Football League (CRFL). The league posted a statement on its Facebook account late Saturday, which read "Today we lost a brother, R.I.P Dave Coleman...you will be missed (via Jay County Panthers)."

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