North Carolina basketball player, 19, dies of neurological problems from COVID-19

A North Carolina teenage basketball player has died from a rare COVID-19 complication in which the virus attacked his brain, his family said.

Chad Dorrill, 19, had been living off-campus and taking classes online at Appalachian State University in Boone when he became sick earlier this month with the virus, the college said Tuesday in a statement.

“When he began feeling unwell earlier this month, his mother encouraged him to come home, quarantine, and be tested for COVID-19,” Chancellor Sheri Everts wrote to students.

His uncle, David Dorrill, said that the teen tested positive Sept. 7 and quarantined for 10 days at home in Wallburg, the New York Times reported.

But upon returning to college, he began to experience serious neurological issues, Dorril said.

“When he tried to get out of bed, his legs were not working, and my brother had to carry him to the car and take him to the emergency room,” Dorrill told the newspaper.

Doctors told the family that instead of attacking the respiratory system, the virus had been damaging his brain, the newspaper reported.

His mom, Susan Dorrill, explained the terrifying complications that killed him Monday night in a statement through Chad’s travel basketball team, the Piedmont Pacers, news station WFMY reported.

“Chad was just incredibly tired for two weeks and little did we know it was secretly attacking his body in a way they have never seen before,” she said.

“The doctors said that Chad is the rarest 1 [in] 10,000,000 case but if it can happen to a super-healthy 19-year old boy who doesn’t smoke, vape or do drugs, it can happen to anyone.”