Heads Up Football was featured as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell led football and medical officials to discuss player health and safety on "The Queen Latifah Show," which aired the taped syndicated episode Wednesday.
Joining Goodell in the Los Angeles taping, which took place early last week, were former Washington Redskins linebacker and current Heads Up Football Ambassador LaVar Arrington, NorthShore University HealthSystem neuropsychologist Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth and representatives from USA Football. They discussed youth sports safety, demonstrated proper tackling and gave parents strategies to help kids stay safe.
Arrington used the opportunity to take a proactive stance against what he perceives as negative publicity against the game.
"Being that I played the game the way that I did ... the one thing people may have not understood is that there was a method," he said. "Football is very scientific in a lot of ways if you make contact in the proper ways. I never got a concussion tackling. I always tackled with my midsection. I made contact with my chest because as Heads Up says, my eyes were always on my work.
"I got concussions because I got kneed in the head. I happened to fall on the ground and a guy is running across the line and he hits me. That's a concussion."
"It's just important to let all of you know you don't have to be afraid of the game. You accept the challenges that are there. There is something that's there that needs to be addressed. That's where this (Heads Up Football) program is going and I'm proud to be a part of that."
Here are four video excerpts from Wednesday's episode:
