NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — For years reports have detailed the long-term effects football can have on kids and adults, and Regan Weiss knows the toll it can take on the brain and body firsthand.
Weiss played football at River Ridge High School before going on to play collegiate football.
"I suffered many, many concussions over the course of my career to the point of where it affected my speech," Weiss said. "I had hallucinations."
He's an advocate for the game and will continue to be, but said the damage that can be created by it can also be prevented.
For close to 10 years, he has pushed to provide guardian cap helmet covers for high school football players. The covers garnered attention after the NFL used them in their preseason practices.
On Monday, Weiss saw his work come to fruition at River Ridge High School. The helmet covers were provided to River Ridge High School's football team free of charge, thanks to private donations through the organization The Hub.
It's an added relief for players like Logan Howard.
"I feel like it's going to help us out a lot because everyone is going to go 100% now knowing that they will have extra protection," Howard said.
The helmets cost less than $50 apiece. Weiss said it's a small price to pay for the mental and physical longevity of the players.
"You have to understand," Weiss said, "Some of these runners are coming at you 20, 24 miles an hour at full hit. That's an extra little shock absorber."
River Ridge High School football coach Gregory Miller has heard of parents who keep their kids from playing because of the dangers connected to the sport and said the added layer of protection may help change their mindset.
"I think that it's something that all high schools need to have," Miller said. "At some point, I think that we need to have it mandatory."
Weiss agreed and said his goal is to make the helmet covers mandatory across the state.
To learn more about The Hub, click here.
