National Football League Foundation Names Jason Taylor to Board of Directors

Taylor Selected to Serve for Two Years

The National Football League Foundation announced today that former NFL Man of the Year JASON TAYLOR has been chosen to serve on the organization’s board of directors. Taylor enjoyed a 15-year NFL playing career with the Dolphins, Redskins and Jets, including being selected to six Pro Bowls, and retired in 2011.

Taylor joins the NFL Foundation board in a newly formed post for retired Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winners who will serve two-year terms. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award has been presented annually since 1970 to an outstanding player who also makes significant contributions to society. Taylor received the prestigious award in 2007.

“I am honored to join the NFL Foundation,” said TAYLOR. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the 32 NFL teams to advance the Foundation’s mission.”

“We appreciate Jason’s commitment to the NFL Foundation,” said NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL. “As a former NFL player and a dedicated philanthropist, Jason brings a unique and valuable perspective to the organization.”

Taylor currently serves as an NFL analyst for ESPN. He devotes much of his time to leading the Jason Taylor Foundation, which he founded in 2004 along with his wife, Katina. The organization supports and creates programs that facilitate the growth and empowerment of South Florida children in need by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life.

“During his NFL career Jason was a leader on the field and in his community,” said CHARLOTTE JONES ANDERSON, chairman of the NFL Foundation and executive vice president of the Dallas Cowboys. “We are excited to have Jason join the board and assist in guiding the foundation’s efforts to support our communities.”

Taylor joins fellow board members: MICHAEL BIDWILL, President, Arizona Cardinals; SHAHID KHAN, Owner, Jacksonville Jaguars; MARY OWEN, Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning, Buffalo Bills; ARTHUR J. ROONEY II, President, Pittsburgh Steelers; and LEONARD WILF, Owner/Vice Chairman, Minnesota Vikings.

About the NFL Foundation:

The National Football League Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation represents the 32 NFL clubs and supports the health and safety of athletes, youth football, and the communities which support our game. For more information on The NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.

NFL Health and Safety Update—May 16, 2013

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NFL Health and Safety Update—May 8, 2013

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More Than 50 Former NFL Players to Participate in USA Football’s Heads Up Football Ambassador Clinic

Former NFL players will learn tackling mechanics that reduce helmet contact and serve as Heads Up Football Ambassadors for youth leagues this fall

INDIANAPOLIS — More than 50 former NFL players will convene at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday, May 8, to become trained as Heads Up Football^SM Ambassadors. They will participate in clinics that will reinforce tackling mechanics aimed at reducing helmet contact. The sessions also will feature education on concussion recognition and response and provide instruction on proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting.

The clinic is part of Heads Up Football, a new nationwide USA Football pilot program for the 2013 season dedicated to making the game better and safer for youth players. The former NFL players participating in the clinic will work alongside youth leagues across the nation this fall as mentors, lending support to the Heads Up Football program and reinforcing a culture of safety in youth football.

Among the former NFL players participating in the Heads Up Football clinic are LAVAR ARRINGTON, KEITH BULLUCK, MERRIL HOGE, HARDY NICKERSON and JAKE PLUMMER.

USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams. More than 1,200 youth football leagues across the U.S., representing more than 250,000 players and 36,000 coaches nationwide, have committed to the health and safety of their young players by adopting Heads Up Football.

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NFL Health and Safety Update—May 1, 2013

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NFL Health and Safety Update—April 24, 2013

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More than 900 youth leagues commit to safer football through USA Football’s Heads Up Football program

Nationwide program launched with $1.5 million grant from the NFL Foundation

Former NFL players to serve as Heads Up Football Ambassadors

More than 900 youth football leagues across the United States representing more than 200,000 players and 30,000 coaches nationwide have committed to the health and safety of their young players by adopting Heads Up Football, a new USA Football pilot program for the 2013 season dedicated to making the game better and safer.

The Heads Up Football program promotes a positive youth football experience and advances player safety by providing coaching education and teaching resources that benefit players, parents and coaches. Heads Up Football aims to take the head out of the game.

USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams.

Seventy-eight former NFL players also will participate in the program as Heads Up Football Ambassadors, working with youth leagues to reinforce the Heads Up message. Former NFL standouts CARL BANKS, TONY CASILLAS, RANDALL CUNNINGHAM and BARRY SANDERS are among those serving as Heads Up Football Ambassadors. They will work alongside youth leagues, attending select practices and games while endorsing Heads Up Football.

Youth coaches of participating leagues will be trained in Heads Up Football techniques before leading their teams this season. All head coaches and assistant coaches are required to complete USA Football’s accredited Level 1 Coaching Certification Course, which includes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concussion recognition and response protocols; proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting; and Heads Up Tackling techniques, which aim to take the head out of the line of contact, and teach proper fundamentals.
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NFL Health and Safety Update—April 17, 2013

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NFL Health and Safety Update—April 10, 2013

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Foundation for the NIH Joins NIH in Seeking Proposals to Study Sports-Related Brain Injuries

Sports Health and Research Program a Partnership with NIH and NFL

Bethesda, MD (April 3, 2013)– The FNIH today announced that the Sports and Health Research Program (SHRP) is seeking NIH grant proposals from experts in the field to study the detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of sports-related brain injuries. The SHRP — sponsored by the NFL in collaboration with the NIH and announced last September – is conducting research focused on the long-term health effect of injuries sustained by professional and amateur athletes in order to gain more insight into serious medical conditions that affect both athletes and the general public.

Through support from SHRP, the NIH is calling for the best and brightest scientists and physicians to conduct ground-breaking medical research to enhance our understanding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other long-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury.

“We are encouraged by the momentum the SHRP team is building in such a short time with the announcement of these pioneering new research initiatives,” said Maria Freire, Ph.D., President of the FNIH. “Thanks to the generosity of the NFL, the program will provide us with invaluable data and ultimately ways to prevent and treat injuries in ways that will benefit athletes and non-athletes alike.”

“The research and results generated by the SHRP will help medical professionals understand more about head injuries not only in athletes, but also in the general population. We are proud to be collaborating with the FNIH on this important work,” said Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner.

While the five-year-long, $30 million program is initially focusing on brain injury, especially in athletes and veterans, SHRP may eventually expand to encompass other sports-related issues such as chronic degenerative joint disease, the transition from acute to chronic pain, sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes, and heat and hydration-related illness and injury. The FNIH welcomes other donors, including additional sports organizations, to join the collaboration.

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