The family of Memphis, Tennessee, high school football player Joshua Henderson is speaking out after his death. In early July, the teen collapsed during outdoor football practice. He was taken to the hospital and treated for heat-related illness. After nearly three weeks of hospitalization, he succumbed to the illness.
Now the family is left to wonder who is responsible and if the boy’s death could have been avoided. The loss serves as a timely reminder how easy heat-related illnesses come up in the summer and how seriously they should be taken.
In an update on the GoFundMe account they started, the Henderson family announced the 16-year-old’s death.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Joshua. After bravely fighting for his life in the hospital, Josh transitioned 7/26 due to complications from organ failure caused by a severe heat stroke,” the statement began.
“Josh was only 16 years old full of life, laughter, and promise,” the statement continued. “He was deeply loved by his parents, siblings, extended family, and all who knew him. His sudden loss has left our hearts shattered and our world forever changed.”
On July 7, 2025, Joshua Henderson collapsed during football practice at Bolton High School, WMC reported. His mother, Angel Henderson, was at home when she received a call from the school. “By the time I get there, my son is in the back of an ambulance, barely fitting on the gurney, lethargic, eyes closed, and barely able to breathe,” she explained to the news outlet.
The teen was rushed to the ICU at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, where doctors discovered he was dealing with heat-related illness.
In the interview, which was nearly a week after Joshua collapsed, Angel said the family hadn’t really heard from the school or the district.
“None of the coaches have come to see him [Joshua]. They won’t give us answers. My husband went to the school to pick up his effects from the practice and his phone. They didn’t even talk to him,” she said, per WMC. “They didn’t even say we are praying, they didn’t even say sorry. They just handed him his stuff, like he was nothing.”
Now, after his death, the Henderson family is still waiting for answers. Memphis-Shelby County Schools released a statement on the teen’s death, but the family says they’ve heard nothing from the school directly.
“An explanation; an apology even, not a statement to the public. We need a statement to the family,” Kristen Henderson, Joshua’s aunt, told Local Memphis. “It feels like there’s a sense of neglect there. Even though we know that children don’t want to drink or hydrate, Joshua was not that child.”
Kristen Henderson told the news outlet that the family is considering legal action against the school district.
