SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the cause of death for a 16-year-old Stevens High School football player, who collapsed during a practice earlier this year.
Jaren Lawson died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in February, the medical examiner’s office told KSAT on Thursday. His manner of death was natural.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder that causes a heart to “become thicker and stiff.”
A thickened heart can lead to a blocked blood flow in the muscle and sudden death, the CDC said.
A Northside Independent School District (NISD) spokesperson previously said that Lawson’s health records indicated no known medical conditions.
‘In and out of consciousness’
Lawson was assessed by athletic trainers since he could not hold himself up at the practice on Feb. 10, a San Antonio police report said.
He was “in and out of consciousness” while talking with EMS officials. Records show Lawson was lethargic and sweating profusely, records show.
Lawson was taken to a local hospital after he passed out. He was later pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Feb. 11, a NISD spokesperson said.
In a Feb. 13 email, the district dismissed allegations that a Stevens High School coach allegedly made Lawson participate in a prolonged exercise after the teen said he wasn’t feeling well.
“Our ongoing investigation has found ZERO evidence that these allegations are true,” the district said.
The district spokesperson also noted that its early findings did not indicate that Lawson informed coaching staff of “an inability to participate in practice.”
The spokesperson said the coaching staff reminded Lawson that he could opt out of the exercise. NISD also acknowledged that the coaches knew that Lawson had been ill the day before.
District officials said it did not find evidence that Lawson was denied access to water during the practice.
More coverage on this story on KSAT: