FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/3/13
http://twitter.com/nflhealthsafety
NFL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE—JULY 3, 2013
NFL & OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY TO HOST MOMS FOOTBALL SAFETY CLINIC
On Monday, NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL and Ohio State Head Football Coach URBAN MEYER invited Ohio mothers to the first-ever OSU-NFL Moms Football Safety Clinic, which will take place at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at Ohio State University on Thursday, August 1.
“We know how a parent feels when entrusting a child to a coach. All parents want to make sure that their child's coach puts safety first and is educated in the most modern techniques designed to promote safe play and teach the skills needed to have fun,” wrote Goodell.
The clinic offers mothers classroom instruction from leading health experts as well as on-field training from OSU coaches and former players and USA Football representatives. The session also features education on Heads Up Football tackling, concussion awareness, heat and hydration and proper equipment fitting.
LYSTEDT LAW NOW SIGNED IN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA
Forty-eight states and Washington, D.C. have adopted laws that help to protect young athletes from concussions and brain injuries. Recently, South Carolina and West Virginia became latest states to sign bills modeled off of the Lystedt Law.
Both the South Carolina and West Virginia laws include three core principles of the Lystedt Law by requiring:
1) A concussion information sheet be provided each year to all coaches, volunteers, student athletes and their parents/legal guardian before a student athlete is permitted to participate in an athletic competition or practice;
2) The immediate removal of a student athlete from practice or competition if he/she is suspected of sustaining a concussion or brain injury; and
3) A student athlete who has been removed from play and who is suspected of having a concussion or brain injury may not return to play until he/she receives written medical clearance by a physician.
West Virginia’s version of the law also requires that each head coach of an interscholastic sport at a high school or middle school that is part of the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission to complete a commission-approved concussion and head injury course on an annual basis.
The NFL and its clubs have worked with state legislators to advocate for the adoption of the Lystedt Law across the country.
NFL TEAMS HOST USA FOOTBALL HEADS UP FOOTBALL EVENTS
Arizona Cardinals:
The Arizona Cardinals hosted more than 50 local youth football coaches for a Heads Up Football Player Safety Coach training session at the team’s facility in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, June 29. The clinic, led by former Chicago Bears defensive end and USA Football Master Trainer MICHAEL HAYNES and Cardinals coaches, educated coaches on Heads Up Football tackling techniques, concussion awareness and proper equipment fitting to enhance safety within their respective organizations.
“I want to learn about safety; I want to keep the kids safe,” said Wickenburg Youth Football’s STEVE SORENSEN, who participated in Saturday’s training. “I want to help them learn proper skills. The way football is changing, we see that all the way in the NFL and college level, we want to make sure that our kids are not afraid to play but learn how to play properly so that they can enjoy the sport like we all have.”
Cardinals Running Back Coach STUMP MITCHELL, who played for the club from 1981-89, participated in the event and answered attendees’ player health and safety questions following the program.
For more information on the Cardinals’ event, click here.
Dallas Cowboys:
Former NFL players TONY CASILLAS and ANTHONY MUÑOZ this week held an NFL PLAY 60 Character Camp at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The camp, geared toward predominantly Hispanic youth, reached nearly 300 youth from the DFW Metroplex. In addition to learning football fundamentals, campers had the chance to hear from Casillas, a USA Football Heads Up Football Ambassador, on the importance of concussion awareness and safe tackling techniques.
Later this month, the Cowboys will host their annual “Coaches Clinic,” a free, one-day seminar for youth and middle school football coaches from North Texas and other areas. The clinic at Cowboys Stadium will provide 500 coaches an opportunity to learn techniques and tips from Cowboys Owner and General Manager JERRY JONES, Head Coach JASON GARRETT and position coaches. All attendees will receive USA Football playbooks and a free membership to USAFootball.com. Cowboys Chief Brand Officer and NFL Foundation Chairman CHARLOTTE JONES ANDERSON and Casillas will also speak on Heads Up Football principals, emphasizing youth football player health and safety. Participants will also hear presentations from the Taylor Hooten Foundation on steroid awareness.
On July 27, Dallas will host a USA Football Protection Tour as part of USA Football’s Heads Up Football program at Cowboys Stadium. The free, one-day event will allow as many as 250 young athletes, their parents, coaches and league administrators to receive expert training on proper equipment fitting, tackling fundamentals and concussion awareness.
Indianapolis Colts:
Central Indiana youth football coaches participated in a Heads Up Football Player Safety Coach clinic hosted by the Indianapolis Colts and USA Football at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on Sunday, June 30. USA Football Master Trainer ANDY RYLAND and former NFL safety, Colts Youth Football Commissioner and Heads Up Football Ambassador MIKE PRIOR instructed more than 30 Player Safety Coaches from leagues throughout the state on the founding principles of Heads Up Football, including proper tackling techniques, concussion awareness and proper equipment fitting.
“We just want to make it a better, safer game,” says Prior.
For more information on the Colts’ event, click here. To view a local news station’s segment on the clinic, click here.
FORMER NFL PLAYERS RECEIVE FREE SCREENINGS FROM PLAYER CARE FOUNDATION
The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers, along with the NFL Player Care Foundation, recently hosted a health screening event for former NFL players. The event was held at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, CA. DR. JOHN YORK, 49ers co-chairman and owner, attended the event. Nearly 30 former players received free cardiovascular and prostate health screenings. The screenings were conducted with support from Sequoia Hospital, Boone Heart Institute, the Urology Care Foundation and Morehouse School of Medicine. For additional information about the Player Care Foundation, visit: https://www.nflplayercare.com.
To learn more about the screening and the Player Care Foundation, click here to view a video on the San Francisco 49ers website.
For more information on the NFL’s health and safety work, please visit www.nflevolution.com
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