MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A Tennessee State University football player collapsed and died yesterday during an evening practice.
TSU reports that William Wayne Jones, III, a 19-year old freshman defensive back from Smyrna, Tenn., passed out 4 p.m. and couldn’t be revived. He was sent by ambulance to Baptist Medical Center where efforts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m.
The Associated Press reports Jones collapsed following a series of sprint exercises.
TSU Athletics Director Teresa Phillips says in a statement on the school’s website that the university and the football team are hurting at the loss of one of their own, and she encourages the university community to support the family during a difficult time.