16-Year-Old Former High School Football Player Suddenly Dies, Family and Doctors Baffled

The sudden and unexplained death of a 16-year-old former Stamford High School football player has left the town in shock.

Djemayley Vernet, a former football player at Stamford High School in Connecticut, passed away last Saturday after a sudden illness.

“The family says he had no health issues and doctors are trying to understand what happened to Djemayley Vernet,” News 12 reported.

“It’s tragic and it kills me to even think about it,” said Vernet’s cousin Noldylens Metayer.

“My heart is breaking as I announce that my brother, our brother Djemayley has passed away on Saturday,” Ashley Glaudin, Djemayley’s sister wrote on Facebook.

“I have no words, there is no valid explanation, but God has a reason. God has a plan and we must not lose faith in him. I love you Djemayley it was too soon we needed you. We needed our Jeremiah of this generation. It doesn’t make sense but I know you are with God I know you are in a better place,” she added.

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News 12 provided further details:

His family says the 16-year-old suddenly started having seizures last Wednesday.

“He was coughing up blood and then they called the ambulance and on the way to the hospital he had two more seizures so then they put him in a coma to see what was going on,” said Metayer.

He was rushed to Stamford Hospital and was put into a medically induced coma. He died Saturday morning.

His family and doctors are still trying to understand what happened.

“Shocking news. Never planned this. So many things in life I wanted to do with him and he never even left the country since he came. Yeah, it’s very heartbreaking for me,” said Metayer.

Vernet was an avid church goer. He was born in Haiti and came to America when he was young.

He played on the Stamford High football team and just got his first job.

He was getting ready for his junior year of high school.

People have had seizures but in his case the doctors could not find a reason for what was going on. They had no answers for the abrupt illness that overtook his body. 

After hours of waiting for results from a CAT Scan, doctors told us the test came back inconclusive. From here they had to fly our brother to Yale New Haven Hospital to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

There, they ran tests and found everything inconclusive so why is our brother still in this coma? Why were the doctors telling us they can’t wake him yet?

After intensive prayers and after God made his way the doctors took him out of the coma and he was awake! He was talking, walking, and doing things he could do before the event. Visits to his bedside ended in laughter and joy. “They put me to sleep” he said with a grin. We joked around with him and offered to bring in his PlayStation so he could, “get back on the sticks” and play with his closest friends. We, along with the medical staff, were joyous and hopeful. *Unfortunately on the morning of August 6th, 2022, we lost the battle. Our earth stopped and our hearts shattered. He was 16, he was healthy, we could not understand. His heart stopped with no explanation and no warning. He didn’t have nearly enough time to experience life. *

Braden Fahey, 12, Football – Braden Fahey, a middle schooler and young football player, had to be rushed to Stanford hospital on Friday evening at 7:25 after experiencing a medical emergency during a football practice.

Djemayley Vernet, 16 – Football

Phillip Laster Jr., 17, Football – A high school student in Mississippi died after he collapsed on the field during football practice on Monday. Laster’s body was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office to rule a cause of death.

Cesar Vasquez, 18, Football – Cesar Vasquez died in his sleep. “His mom went in to wake him up and he was gone.” An autopsy is being performed to find out the cause of death. Vazquez had no prior health problem

Aaron Crawford, 18, Football – 18-year-old Aaron “Mick” Crawford returned home exhausted after assisting flood victims with debris and mud cleanup and complained that his arms felt heavy. Mick passed away on August 5 due to cardiac arrest, four days after he first started feeling sick due to an unforeseen medical condition.

Avery Gilbert, Freshman, Football – fellow teammate found Avery Gilbert collapsed and not breathing in a dorm entryway. He died at the hospital. It was just his third day on campus. School officials say Gilbert had an apparent pre-existing medical condition that was triggered by an allergen. At this point, the Lake County Coroner has not yet officially determined the cause of death.

Derek Gray, 20, Basketball – According to Pat Miller, the coach of the men’s basketball team at UW-Whitewater for 30 years, the cause of his death was cardiac-related.

Mason Fisher, 27, Bike Race – Three-time participant Mason Fisher, age 27 of Upper Arlington, collapsed 2.9 miles before the Pelotonia finish then he passed away due to a heart-related medical issue.