An 18-year-old student at Temple University has died after falling from a light pole while celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles NFC Championship win.
On Tuesday, Temple University announced Tyler Sabapathy, a freshman at the school, had died after suffering a brain injury from falling off a light pole on Sunday. Sabapathy was celebrating the Eagles defeating the Washington Commanders 55-23 with other fans.
Video footage shows Sabapathy holding on to the pole before losing his grip and falling flat on his back. He hit the back of his head on the concrete, which resulted in a brain injury and later his death.
According to school officials, Sabapathy was from Toronto and majored in exercise and sports science at Temple's College of Public Health. He was also a decorated gymnast who racked up more than 120 medals.
"The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic," Temple president John Fry and vice president for student affairs Jodi Bailey wrote in a statement. "There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. Our hearts go out to Tyler's family, friends, classmates, and all who knew and loved him."
School administrators added, "As a member of the university's club gymnastics team, Tyler displayed exceptional self-discipline and work ethic, spending countless hours a week training and honing his craft. He was loved by his teammates, friends, and coaches here in Philadelphia."
Local news reported that police held an internal briefing to devise ways to prevent this from happening again for the next possible celebration, which could occur two weeks after the Super Bowl if the Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
