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Mother Of Dead Miramar High Football Player Will Sue School District

MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – The mother of a  Miramar High football player who collapsed at the end of a conditioning session last July and passed away a short time later will file a lawsuit against the school district.

Angela Cooper, mother of Isaiah Laurencin, has hired Benjamin Crump as her attorney. Crump is also the attorney representing the family of Trayvon Martin. Crump plans to file the paperwork next week.

After Laurencin's death, an autopsy performed by the Broward County Medical Examiner's office determined that a number of conditions culminated in the football player death, including a sickle cell trait and alpha thalassemia, which can lead to abnormal red blood cells and anemia.

Also cited in the five page report were obesity, bronchitis, hypertension and warm environmental conditions during the long practice drill, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Laurencin stood 6'3" and weighed 286 pounds, according to his recruiting profile on Scout.com.

During a conditioning session on July 26th, Laurencin told coaches that he wasn't feeling well and sat on the sidelines. According to his family, Laurencin was experiencing cramps and contacted them. The family was on their way to pick him up. Shortly after, he started vomiting and went into cardiac arrest.

"I always made sure that he stayed hydrated that he had water and Gatorade," said Cooper. "But I felt like the coaches would look out for him. That they would look out for Isaiah."

Because of Laurencin's death, officials required that there be no football practice for any Broward high school in the heat of the day during the hours of 11 am and 4 pm in the weeks leading up to school. Teams had to practice in the morning and evening.

CBS4 News reached out to the Broward County School District for comment. They declined saying they do not comment on pending litigation.

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