(CNN) Dylan Thomas, the Georgia high school football player who died after a game last month, succumbed to cardiac arrest stemming from a head injury, the Pike County coroner said in a Tuesday statement. 
 
 The 16-year-old's death has been ruled an accident, the statement said. Specifically, his cardiac arrest was the result of "traumatic brain injury due to or as a consequence of a closed head injury." 
 
 No autopsy was conducted because Thomas' injuries were documented at the hospital, according to the statement. 
 
 The athlete's parents are fine with the decision not to conduct an autopsy, coroner Terrell Moody said, adding that the mother and father did not wish to make any statement. 
 
 Game stopped after injury 
 
 Pike County high school player Dylan Thomas died Sunday after a hit on the field in a game. 
 
 Dylan needed assistance standing but was alert and responsive to questions when he told trainers that he had lost feeling in his left leg, the coroner's statement said. 
 
 He was helped off the field and examined by an orthopedic surgeon and the Pike County certified trainer, the Georgia High School Association said. 
 
 Dylan's condition began deteriorating roughly seven minutes after he came off the field, according to the coroner. 
 
 Known as "DT" to those who loved him, Dylan lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital in the rural Zebulon, about an hour's drive south of Atlanta, before being taken to another hospital in Atlanta. The coaches agreed to call off the rest of the game, Pike County High School Principal Kevin Huffstetler said. 
 
 Dylan Thomas' jersey hangs in a wreath of roses before the Pike County High School game against Rutland High School. 
 
 He died at the Atlanta hospital on September 30, after at least 40 hours of surgery, medical testing and additional life-saving measures, the coroner said in a statement. 
 
 He was in "great physical shape," and there were no pre-existing medical conditions detected, the statement said. 
 
 Without an autopsy, there is no way to know whether Dylan had an unidentified pre-existing condition. 
 
 Doctors "described to Dylan's parents the nature of the injury as an anomaly, requiring the perfect amount of pressure on the perfect spot at the perfect angle," according to the statement. 
 
 No evidence of negligence 
 
 The Georgia High School Association, the organization that oversees Georgia high school sports, said there "is no indication of any negligent action by anyone associated with Pike County in this incident." 
 
 "The coaches had taken every precaution to prepare for potential injuries and went beyond the required standards when working within the concussion protocol," the organization said. 
 
 In reviewing the game film and speaking with school officials, the association said there was no indication that Dylan received an injury in the second quarter. 
 
 Pike County Coach Brad Webber said officials are not sure when or how Dylan was injured. Coaches reviewed video of the game to try to pinpoint what happened -- whether he had taken a hit to the head, for example -- but nothing stuck out, he said. 
 
 Video of Dylan's final game was released by Pike County High School. The footage does not show any traumatic or catastrophic hits to his head. At one point in the second quarter, he is seen in the video being hit by two players on a running play and is slow to get up. He continues playing. 
 
 "The questioning coming from everyone is when did it happen," Pike County School Superintendent Michael Duncan said. "We understand. We just don't know." 
 
 Teen laid to rest 
 
 Dylan's teammates and members of the junior varsity team wore their red jerseys, as his family requested. The number 32 was scrawled in red on car windows in the church parking lot, some accompanied by the words "Dylan Strong." 
 
 Football players from Peach County, the team the Pirates were playing when Dylan fell unconscious, also attended the service in their gray jerseys. 
 
 On Friday, the Pirates suited up to play Rutland High School. No. 32 balloons were released under the Friday night lights of the field in Macon. 
 
 Teammates said they were determined to play for Dylan and for everyone in their community. Dylan's parents wanted the team to play, too. 
 
 "The loss of Dylan will now force us to strengthen our hearts," teammate Jordan Holley said. "We may not be the fastest, strongest or best team in our region and we may not win another game this season, but moving forward there's not a single high school team in the United States that has more heart than us right now." 
 
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 A Georgia high school football player who died after suffering injuries during a game last month died of cardiac arrest as a result of a traumatic brain injury and the death was classified as an accident, the coroner said Tuesday. 
 
 Dylan Thomas, a 16-year-old linebacker at Pike County High School in Zebulon, died after being injured in a Sept. 28 game and he was pronounced dead on Sept. 30, Pike County Coroner Terrell A. Moody said in a statement. The boy’s age had previously been reported as 17. 
 
 "Dylan's official cause of death is: Cardiac Arrest, due to, or as a consequence of Traumatic Brain Injury, due to, or as a consequence of a Closed Head Injury," Moody said, and he classified the manner of death as accidental. 
 
 Play was stopped for an injured player in the third quarter of a game against Peach County, Moody said. Dylan was standing, with assistance, and was able to verbally communicate with staff, but his condition soon deteriorated and he was transported by ambulance and flown by helicopter to a hospital in Atlanta. 
 
 Dylan's uncle, Nick Burgess, told the Associated Press earlier in October that after the teen was hit he later collapsed on the sidelines when his arm and leg went numb. Moody said Dylan underwent multiple surgeries and other life saving measures over 40 to 45 hours at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta before being declared dead. 
 
 The determination of the cause of death was based on documented injuries and treatments he received, and after a crime lab determined an autopsy was not necessary, Moody said in the statement. 
 
 Coach Brad Webber called Dylan, of Hollonville, "one of the finest young men I have ever had in my life" and "just an outstanding young man." 
 
 His family said in an obituary that "Dylan lived life to the fullest. He was a true friend, who never met a stranger. He was a loving son and brother." 
 
 Moody said in Tuesday’s statement that Dylan was a healthy 16-year-old and no preexisting medical conditions had been found in any physicals, or during treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital. 
 
 He said that "Medical staff at Grady described to Dylan's parents the nature of the injury as an anomaly, requiring the perfect amount of pressure on the perfect spot at the perfect angle." 
 
 The Georgia High School Association said in a statement last week that a review of the incident determined Dylan was wearing a brand-new 2018 Riddell helmet and that that helmet type is the highest-rated helmet that the company manufactures. The GHSA said there was no indication of any negligence and that "the coaches had taken every precaution to prepare for potential injuries and went beyond the required standards when working within the concussion protocol." 
 
 "Pike County continues to extend its condolences to the family of Dylan Thomas during this time and in view of this unfortunate tragedy," Moody said. "The outpouring of love and support from the community and many others has been amazing." 
 
 Recent injuries in high school, collegiate, and professional football have opened a debate over whether stricter safety regulations are needed. And some parents question whether teenagers and young children should be allowed to play football at all. 
 
 A poll earlier in the year conducted by NBC News found that 48 percent of Americans say they’d encourage a child who wanted to play football to play a different sport due to concerns about concussions. 
 
 On Oct. 5, the first game played by Pike County High School since Dylan's death, players paid tribute to the fallen player before going on to win the game against Rutland High, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported. Players from both teams shook hands and carried Dylan's jersey onto the field to take a knee, and other jerseys displaying his number, 32, were hung around the field, the station reported.
– The death of a 16-year-old football player who was injured in a game last month was the result of a "traumatic brain injury," the coroner says. Dylan Thomas, a linebacker at Pike County High School in Zebulon, Ga., died two days after he was injured in a Sept. 28 game. In a statement, Pike County Coroner Terrell A. Moody said the brain injury was "due to or as a consequence of a closed head injury," NBC reports. He said medical staff had described the injury "as an anomaly, requiring the perfect amount of pressure on the perfect spot at the perfect angle." The coroner said that while no autopsy had been conducted, no sign of any preexisting medical conditions was found during team physicals or during hospital treatment after the injury. CNN reports that the Georgia High School Association says there is no sign of any negligence on the part of anybody associated with the team, and coaches "went beyond the required standards when working within the concussion protocol." Dylan was involved in a collision in the second quarter of the game and came off in the third. Pike County Coach Brad Webber says coaches have reviewed video footage of the game and have been unable to pinpoint a time when Dylan received a traumatic blow to the head.