Notre Dame recruit dies in Florida mishap

[82CardsGrad]

Wow... what a major bummer! I remember being in Ft. Lauderdale during a few spring breaks back in my day. PLenty of times I found myself drunk as a skunk on some high-rise balcony over looking the intra-coastal waterway. I always looked back at those days and wondered how nobody (me included) ever fell off those balconies...

Updated April 03, 2010
FoxSports

A Cincinnati high school football player who was one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits died early Friday evening in a fall from a hotel balcony on a Florida beach while on spring break.

A Cincinnati high school football player who was one of the nation's most sought-after recruits died early Friday evening after a fall from a balcony on a Panama City, Fla., beach.

St. Xavier offensive lineman Matt James, 17, died after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel according to police reports. He was in Panama City on vacation.

The 6-foot-6, 291-pound tackle had committed to play football for Notre Dame this fall. He was selected a first-team All-American by USA Today after leading St. Xavier to a No. 4 state ranking.
James played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9 in San Antonio, Texas.

St. Xavier officials said several hundred friends and faculty, many holding candles, gathered at the school's stadium after receiving the news.
"For this many people to appear on the first night of spring break is a testament both to Matt and to the strength of the St. X community in difficult times," said Mark Motz, a high school spokesman.

James also played on his school's basketball team, which won a district championship last month.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Notre Dame recruit died in Florida (on Spring Break)

Notre Dame recruit died in Fla.
(AP) – 33 minutes ago
CINCINNATI —

A star high school football player from Ohio who was recruited by Notre Dame died after falling from a hotel balcony while on spring break in Florida, a high school spokesman said.

Students at St. Xavier High School gathered on the football field Friday night to remember senior Matt James following reports of his death in Panama City Beach, Fla., spokesman Mark Motz said Saturday. James, 17, apparently died instantly after he fell from the third-floor balcony of the Days Inn Motel at around 6:30 p.m. Friday, police told WJHG-TV in Panama City.

Police had not confirmed James' identity as of Saturday morning, but Motz said the school was "devastated" by the news. Motz said the impromptu vigil was organized as word of James' death spread through social-networking sites such as Facebook.

"When one of their own is in trouble, they band together," Motz said.

Whit Majors, a forensic investigator with the Florida State Medical Examiner's District 14 office, said the person who died was on spring break but did not release his name. The cause of the fall was being investigated, and officials planned to do toxicology tests, Majors said.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman was an all-city and all-state football player for St. Xavier and signed a letter of intent in February to play for Notre Dame. He also was a member of the high school's varsity basketball team.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Sad stuff. Drinking + recklessness = THIS. I wonder if he was trying to climb the building or something...or just so out of it he couldn't stand.

Glad I never experienced any of that lifestyle.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Sad stuff. Drinking + recklessness = THIS. I wonder if he was trying to climb the building or something...or just so out of it he couldn't stand.

Glad I never experienced any of that lifestyle.

You're lucky BIM... I truly feel extremly lucky/fortunate and blessed to have somehow come out of that wild period in my life relatively unscathed - physically and mentally!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

You're lucky BIM... I truly feel extremly lucky/fortunate and blessed to have somehow come out of that wild period in my life relatively unscathed - physically and mentally!

Glad you survived.

 

[Southpaw]

17 years old on spring break in the Redneck Riviera?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/36156112/ns/sports-college_football/

He was drunk and belligerent and he fell from the fifth floor balcony.

Also:

James isn’t the first spring breaker to die from a balcony fall this year. Brandon Kohler, a 19-year-old from Winder, Ga., died March 24 when he fell from a fifth-floor balcony at the Holiday Terrace Motel in Panama City Beach.

 

[CardEd]

I had a college buddy die in Panama City on spring break. Drunk, locked out of the condo, tried to climb the balcony to get it. Got to the third floor and the railing gave way.

20 y/o

Worst funneral that I have ever attended.

 

[Lefty]

17-years old and drunk, I smell lawsuit. By the way, I can see parents letting their college kid going to Florida on spring break, but not a high schooler.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

17-years old and drunk, I smell lawsuit. By the way, I can see parents letting their college kid going to Florida on spring break, but not a high schooler.

He was 6-foot-6 and weighed 290 ... they probably couldn't stop him if they had tried.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Sad story. I am fortunate that my high school days didn't get too far out of hand. I did have a buddy in high school fall off a 2 story balcony because he was drunk, but fortunately he landed in some bushes that broke his fall.

 

[ajcardfan]

17-years old and drunk, I smell lawsuit. By the way, I can see parents letting their college kid going to Florida on spring break, but not a high schooler.

There were some adults "chaperoning" this group of kids.

 

[Lefty]

There were some adults "chaperoning" this group of kids.

The lawyers are going to be going after them and everyone involved. It could get ugly.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Ridiculous to go after them, IMHO. He chose to drink. I love how this is labeled an "accident." Like he accidentally got drunk and stupid. It's more like suicide by alcohol.

 

[Lefty]

Ridiculous to go after them, IMHO. He chose to drink. I love how this is labeled an "accident." Like he accidentally got drunk and stupid. It's more like suicide by alcohol.

Agree but there will be lawyers wanting to sue everyone. I watched ESPN's 30/30 about LMU and Hank Gathers, and Gathers' family sued the school, the school doctor and coach Westhead, eventhough he did not tell Hank to lower his medication. It was actually Hank who told the doctors to lower the dosage. The family settled out of court for 1.4 million and Westhead resigned.

 

[Southpaw]

There were some adults "chaperoning" this group of kids.

chaperoning = someone old enough to buy the booze.