Prep Player Still in Coma After Surgery

CLEVELAND — A 16-year-old football player was on a respirator and still in a coma Wednesday after undergoing surgery Monday to remove a blood clot from his brain, and a football injury is suspected as a cause.

James Greene, a junior Madison High School guard, was taken to Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital in Cleveland after going into convulsions Monday morning during football practice at the school in Lake County, about 30 miles east of Cleveland.

Doris Kopp, the boy’s grandmother, said James was hit in the head by another Madison player during routine practice. She said the hit left “big scratches” on the right side of his helmet.

James went to a sideline to sit out a few plays and went into convulsions, Mrs. Kopp said.

The boy was taken from the field to Northeastern Ohio General Hospital in Madison Township, where he was examined. He was then taken to the Cleveland hospital’s intensive care unit.

Mrs. Kopp said doctors are not certain if James was injured during the practice or Madison’s 7-6 victory Friday night against Perry. She said he had complained of slight headaches Saturday and Sunday.

“He said they were only slight headaches, and his parents just thought aspirin would take care of it,” Mrs. Kopp said. “He always played rough, and I guess his parents just thought the headaches were from the game.”

Madison’s football coach, Paul Kovats, said he and other coaches reviewed films from Friday night’s game and found nothing unusual.

“Jim finished the game, and I guess nobody thought anything of it,” Kovats said.