Football can be a dangerous sport.
There are collisions on every play.
The pads are popping, and everyone is looking for a big hit to add to their highlight tape.
The problem is that all those big hits take their toll. And with the dangers of concussions becoming a major issue, everyone is doing anything they can to reduce concussion damage that builds up over time when you play football.
Helmets certainly help. But there are other ways to protect the players. And last week, it was announced that players in the Catholic and Public leagues will have an extra boost protecting their noggins.
SAFR Helmet Covers is teaming up with Eagles legend Ron Jaworski to launch “We Made Philadelphia Football SAFR” to provide student-athletes concussion protection and education.
The campaign will provide 2,100 high school football players in the Public and Catholic leagues with SAFR’s patented Helmet Covers.
“Partnering with Ron Jaworski is an incredible honor for SAFR,” says John Zeglinski, SAFR CEO who was a star quarterback at Archbishop Ryan High School and Wake Forest, where he was also a star baseball player before joining the business world. “His leadership and dedication to youth sports align perfectly with our mission to protect the next generation of athletes.”
And Zeglinski’s mission is to make the game safer.
He knows all too well how dangerous the game can be. He played the game at Ryan and at Wake Forest before going on to play semipro football.
His son Zack was the MVP of the Inter-Ac when he played football. His other son Joe played for Ryan, but opted to play basketball in college. Joe is now the athletic director and basketball coach at Ryan.
His partner in the venture Carlos Bradley, SAFR’s Chairman of the Board, also has a vested interest in keeping Philly kids safe. He was a former star at Germantown.
Zeglinski was involved with the company before he bought in to the product. It’s more than a business.
“I saw how it worked, I saw the value and safety benefits, and I wanted to make the game safer,” Zeglinski said. “I thought Carlos and I, we were like minded, football did a lot for both of us. We wanted to make the game safer. So the first thing we did, went to Virginia Tech, tested there. Then we did it at Penn State. The product works.”
If you watch football, you may think it’s those monster hits that are dangerous. Those ones do rattle the brain, but it’s the constant wear and tear that comes along with the game that can cause the damage.
“We did the study last year in North Carolina, and there was a 48-percent reduction in concussions (for teams wearing the shield),” Zeglinski said. “And teams that didn’t wear, 34 percent increase. That’s not by chance. The goal is to make it safer for kids. Nobody can eliminate concussions, but we can reduce force in every play. The byproduct will be reduction in concussions.
“Our mission is simple — we want both players to walk off the field after a big hit. Football should be tough, but it should also be safe. We’re proud to bring this movement to Philadelphia first.”
The group held a news conference recently at Chickie’s & Pete’s in Northeast Philly, where Zeglinski, Bradley and Jaworski spoke about the partnership that is making the donation to the Philly leagues possible.
Jaworski is donating $10,000 to help pay for the covers, which are made of polyurethane foam. That foam, like shock pads, absorbs the force of the collisions. The covers are then attached to the helmet, and it provides an added benefit.
Every year, schools refurbish and restore helmets. Most of the damage to the covers are paint going from helmet to helmet. The covers will not only protect heads, but helmets, which will save schools money.
It’s a win-win for everyone, and one Zeglinski is happy to be a part of.
“It’s not a cheap product, but we are able to offer them and make them accessible to every kid in the Catholic and Public leagues,” Zeglinski said. “Anything you can do to make the game safer is a positive. They work and we’re able to make them accessible.
“Football is a great game. There’s life after football. Statistics show that of the NFL players who donated their brains, 93 percent had CTE. That’s not all from the NFL, they’re taking shots all the way up. We want to make football safer. Our biggest value is in protecting brains. I’m happy we can do it.”
