Football is one of the most hard hitting sports in our society today. Men weighing hundreds of pounds, barreling at each other full speed with full intentions to hit their opponent; obviously this kind of play comes with serious precautions. But precautions against concussions can only go so far. Concussions in football happen all the time, sometimes even going unnoticed. An injury like a concussion needs time to heal, and especially in the sport of football that is fast paced and hard hitting, players need to know when they have a concussion and the proper measures in how to treat it.
Chris Nowinski
Co-founder and president of the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis. Chris also serves as a co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine. He also serves on the National Football League Players Association, Mackey/White TBI Research Committee and on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of America.
A former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler, he debuted on WWE’s flagship program Monday Night RAW in 2002, when he was named “Newcomer of the Year” by RAW Magazine, and was the youngest male Hardcore Champion in WWE history. Nowinski was forced to retire from a series of concussions in 2003. He is a champion to concussion awareness and education.
Tim Fleiszer
Sports Legacy Institute and three time Grey Cup championship winner. We are pleased to work closely with Tim Fleiszer and the Sports Legacy Institute group on our football platform. Fleiszer played 10 seasons with the CFL as a leader on and off the field. He was a team captain on three teams (Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton) and a CFL Players Association representative for four years. Throughout his ten year career, Fleiszer was passionate about his involvement in community-building initiatives. He was twice nominated for the Tom Pate award, given to the CFL player who reflects outstanding community service.
It is an honour to work along side Chris Nowinski, Tim Fleiszer and the Sports Legacy Institute.
Andy Fantuz
Andy Fantuz is one of Canada’s best football players. With the University of Western Ontario Mustangs, Fantuz was the CIS rookie of the year in 2002 and won the Hec Crighton trophy in 2004 as the most outstanding player in the country. A first round draft pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Fantuz won a Grey Cup in 2007 and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Grey Cup game. In 2010, Fantuz was named the Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL. In February of 2011, Fantuz had offers from four NFL teams and later chose to sign with the Chicago Bears. During the summer of 2010, as part of their “100 years of The Roughriders” promotional campaign, a breakfast cereal under the name “Fantuz Flakes” was created. The box featured an image of Fantuz on the front and the entire supply was sold out in just a few hours.
