Worst part of job: athletes dying too soon

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Saturday May 17.

Going over to Fleming Island High School on Friday afternoon and watching a football team deal with the emotional fallout of linebacker Wesley Whiddon's death was a grim reminder of another sad experience.
A month ago, I wrote a story for the Times-Union just before the NFL draft about Heath Benedict, the ex-Newberry College offensive tackle and Jacksonville resident who was found dead in late March from an enlarged heart.
Benedict was expected to be a mid-round NFL draft pick. He was entering one of the most exciting times of a young football player's life when a previously undetected medical condition led to his premature death. Talking to Heath's parents was a difficult experience, but they wanted the opportunity to let people know who their son was and the great memories he provided during his short time on earth.
As a father of four children, it's hard not to feel an emotional attachment to this kind of story, and the same thing occurred Friday when I visited Fleming Island to talk to head coach Neal Chipoletti, his staff and players about Whiddon's tragic end. The Golden Eagles' starting middle linebacker was struck by a train while fishing with two teammates on a railroad trestle at Black Creek in Orange Park early Wednesday night.
I hadn't seen Chipoletti in over 20 years, back when he was coaching basketball at Forrest High School and took the Rebels to a state championship game with star player Otis Smith, now the general manager of the NBA Orlando Magic.
As a sports writer, most stories you deal with are generally of the positive nature, with others sprinkled with a controversy now and then. But the death of someone so young, and in such a bizarre manner, is a highly sensitive subject for so many people.
In this instance, it's not just heartbreaking for a kid's family, but his extended family of coaches and about 100 players involved with Fleming Island's football program on every level. You cannot possibly see the hurt and pain on their faces and not think to yourself that it could easily be your own teenaged son in that same situation.
Who even thinks for a second that anyone could get hit by a train while fishing? There was no alcohol, drugs or horseplay involved. Just three kids wanting a break from spring football practice and dropping a line in the water, and in a matter of seconds, so many lives are changed because one of the players couldn't get out of the way of an oncoming train fast enough.
For Sunday's Times-Union, I wrote a column about Wesley Whiddon and how his tragic passing has impacted the Fleming Island community. The Golden Eagles resumed practice Saturday morning for the first time since his death and Whiddon's parents, Wesley Sr. and Angie, were among many fans who showed up to support the team.
"I've never lost a player before while coaching them," said Chipoletti. "This is a first for me. I hope there's never a second."
Twice in the last month, I've had to write about football players dying too young. This job is much easier when the subject matter is the game instead of an obituary.