Freshman football player left paralyzed in first high school game, Ohio mom says

A freshman high school football player was left paralyzed after a “tough collision” during his first game of the season, according to school officials and his mother.

Tuscarawas Valley High School opened its season Aug. 22, but the game against Waynedale High School was halted when Mayson White became injured. He was carted off the field after a Waynedale player tackled him, according to WEWS and The Daily Record.

His mom said in a Facebook post her son had fractured his C4 vertebra, putting pressure on his spine.

Surgery the next day revealed Mayson had become paralyzed.

“He has some movement in his right arm but not his hand and he can shrug his shoulders, but nothing in his legs,” his mom, Amanda White, said in a statement to school officials. “And although this was not the outcome we had been hoping for, we are just soo thankful that he is still here with us!”

She told WJW the Waynedale player who tackled her son reached out to her, but she said no one blames him for the injury.

Tuscarawas Valley officials said in a Facebook post it was rooting for Mayson, calling him “a strong young man.”

“Our lives may look different, his life may look different, but he is still our Mayson!” Amanda White said. “We love him soo much and are prepared to do everything he needs us to do and be everything he needs us to be! Please hug your babies tight. If I could trade places with him, I would quicker than a heartbeat!”

Tuscarawas Valley is about an 80-mile drive south from Cleveland.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Freshman football player left paralyzed in first high school game, Ohio mom says."