Who started Football Equipment Safety Awareness?

Philip Aimutis Jr. is a student at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey. In 2008, Philip sustained a life threatening football injury. While tackling an opponent he severely lacerated his spleen and bruised his kidney. He was rushed to the hospital and placed in the intensive care unit.

Philip was in excruciating pain and had internal bleeding. He had a Class IV/V injury to his spleen (V being the most severe). Luckily, the immediate care he received from Larry Baggit (Certified Athletic Trainer), the doctors, and at the hand of God, his spleen stopped bleeding and was able to be saved. Philip was hospitalized for seven days and then remained home resting for another ten days. Obviously, his football season was over for the year. The recovery time for this type of injury is very slow. When Philip returned to school he was weak and his activities were very limited for a long time.

When the doctors asked Philip what happened he told them that he landed on something hard. The picture on this page is the actual play when he was injured and it shows that he landed on the other player's exposed back plate.

The injuries that Philip sustained inspired him to found Football Equipment Safety Awareness. He has made it his mission to inform coaches, referees, players, and their parents of football equipment safety.