In Georgia, a 17-year-old football player died last week from a brain injury.

The cause? Drinking too much water.

With the encouragement from his coaches during the training sessions he attended, Zyrees Oliver had always stayed hydrated during practice. In fact, a special message had been released from Oliver's high school athletic department, insisting that all athletes drink water before, during, and after all games just to be safe.

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However, there was no warning accompanying the message stating the dangers of drinking too much water.

After suffering from cramps and feeling dehydrated after practice, Oliver turned to what every athlete always carries with them to practice--water.

But Oliver's craving for water did not go away immediately. In fact, Oliver ended up consuming two gallons worth of water and two gallons worth of Gatorade after practice had ended.

The results did not hit him immediately until Oliver later returned home, where he had collapsed.

Oliver was air-lifted to the nearest hospital for medical treatment, and doctors explained that all of the fluids Oliver drank contributed to the swelling of his brain. The swelling caused too much pressure on Oliver's brain, and it was no longer able function properly as a result.

He was kept on life support until doctors told his family that there was no longer any activity being registered in his brain. This Monday, his family had agreed to take him off.

Doctors had diagnosed Oliver's condition as a case of fatal water intoxication.

The official name for the type of water intoxication is hyponatremia, which means alludes to an insufficient amount of salt in the bloodstream. This is normally caused by the kidneys being unable to process the water fast enough, and the cells in the body begin to swell.

This in turn causes the brain to swell. In the most severe cases, this causes the brain to stop working properly and can lead to death.

Oliver's body has been scheduled for an autopsy for doctors to further investigate his case.

To avoid suffering from hyponatremia, Mayo Clinic generally advises people that the eight-glasses-a-day rule may not apply to everyone, as every person's body is of a different height and size.

The adequate amount of water someone should drink each day also largely depends on a person's level of activity. An athlete would need more water, as the athlete engages in much more rigorous activity.

Oliver had been a talented football player with a 3.8 GPA. He had hoped to use his school smarts and natural knack for football get him into a good college, where he hoped he would be able to continue to play on the school's team.

A crisis management team has reportedly been called in to Douglas County High School to help the study body cope with the loss of Oliver.

TagsZyrees Oliver, Georgia, Douglas County, Douglas County High School, Mayo Clinic, dehydration, water, Gatorade, Football, football player, hyponatremia, crisis management, college, GPA