Nonprofit provides football safety equipment for young teams

NICEVILLE, Fla. (AP) – A Panhandle nonprofit is providing special equipment to keep kids safe while playing football.

The Taylor Haugen Foundation was created by two Niceville parents after their son, a sophomore at Niceville High School, died from internal injuries sustained on the football field in 2008. The foundation recently provided safety equipment for 56 young players at C.W. Ruckel Middle School in the Panhandle.

The foundation has outfitted more than 2500 students from 40 schools in six states with special equipment designed to safeguard against internal injuries.

Experts say young football players are especially vulnerable to injuries because there are such variations in the sizes and skill levels of players during their early teen years while they are still growing.