Former NFL player Brady Poppinga has shared his heartache after his son died of an asthma attack.
Mr Poppinga’s 17-year-old son Julius died on 30 August after suffering a severe asthma attack that caused him to be hospitalised the week prior.
The teen suffered a collapsed lung while in hospital and did not recover.
After the news was confirmed in a social media post by Julius’ sister Jasmine, Mr Poppinga paid tribute to his son, describing him as a “special soul”.
“I would like to thank EVERYONE for their unbelievably beautiful, sweet and loving compassion sent our way,” Mr Poppinga wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Julius is a special soul who has touched so many lives. He is missed, but we KNOW that through the Savior, we will see him and be with him again. #famliesareforever.”
Former teammates also paid tribute to the 17-year-old. Former Packer Will Blackmon wrote: “Love you @BradyPoppinga. Sending love to you and your family.”
Former Jet and Patriot Matt Chatham wrote: “I realize that mine is a mainly northeast & IA/SD audience, but for those who recall the good ol’ days of @FBbyFB, please send our friend @BradyPoppinga & his family right to the top of your prayer list.”
Free agent linebacker Kyle Van Noy wrote in a post simply, “Love you bro” to Mr Poppinga.
Julius was a junior at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California, and was a two-way football player who also played lacrosse.
Westlake is scheduled to play on Friday against Thousand Oaks. Coach Mark Serve told the Los Angeles Times that Mr Poppinga said his son would have wanted the team to play the game.
Mr Poppinga was a fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2005 and spent six of his eight seasons in the NFL in Green Bay.
A memorial fund has been set up for Julius. “We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of ways to help and contribute to the passing of Julius. One great way is to contribute to his memorial fund... ALL proceeds will go towards honoring the memory of Julius and his beautiful life,” Mr Poppinga wrote in a tweet.
