After Tragic Accident, Bishop Eddie Long Leads Grieving High School Footballers to Christ

A teen’s tragic death due to activity on the football field has turned out for God’s glory.

Only two days after 16-year-old De’Antre Turman died after breaking his neck during a scrimmage, several members of the Creekside High School football team in Fairburn, Ga., responded to an altar call during a service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church led by Bishop Eddie Long, the megachurch’s Facebook page revealed.

Wearing their white football jerseys, members of the team accepted Christ in honor of their fallen teammate, who possessed a strong faith in God.

“He lived by football, family, friends and God,” teammate Jamari Benning told The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “That’s all Tre Tre was thinking about. … He was never stingy, selfish; he was just a good person and a role model. He never had any doubt in God. He always kept his faith.”

Johnny T. White, Creekside’s head coach from 2009 to 2011, heard the news from a Creekside parent who saw the scrimmage and was told that Turman “was making what appeared be a routine tackle when he was injured” in a scrimmage against Banneker High School.

The Journal Constitution reported that Turman’s mother died when he was 4.

Turman was the second Georgia football player in four years to die as the result of an injury. Cook High School’s Roy White passed away after being tackled and hit in the chest during a spring practice in 2009, the Journal Constitution reported.

A junior at Creekside, Turman was one of the state’s top prospects for 2015. He already had a scholarship offer from the University of Kentucky. The Journal Constitution reported that Turman attended the RisingSeniors.com camp in May and had “earned an invitation to participate in the annual December all-star football game, featuring 90 of the state’s top high school juniors.”

The Journal Constitution also reported plans are in the works to honor Turman at a game this year.