As a collision sport, football is inherently dangerous. The risk of concussions for high school players is a real fear, and at the end of 2018, Riverdale’s Head of Athletics John Pizzi knew something had to change. “We saw all these injuries at the end of the 2018 season and a lot of them [were] concussions,” said Mr. Pizzi.

Prioritizing the safety of Riverdale students, Mr. Pizzi approached the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF), a non-profit organization focused on preventing concussions. Under Pizzi’s leadership, Riverdale researched and funded a proposal with the CLF for new protocols that allowed for a decline in concussions and an increase in student safety. Mr. Pizzi explained that “they (CLF) gave us a menu of all of the rule changes that they were proposing that could help to mitigate injuries and concussions.”

The foundation proposed removing the kickoff, limiting live contact each week, and removing the onside kick. Mr. Pizzi, along with Dr. Kelley Nicholson-Flynn, Head of the Upper School at that time, and Christopher Nowinski, the co-founder and CEO of CLF, brought their recommendation to the Metropolitan Independent Football League who approved these changes after much discussion in 2021. “Statistically, the kickoff is a fraction of the football game, but a significant amount of the injuries,” said Katie Gendron, Assistant Director of Athletics. 

Thanks to the profound work of Mr. Pizzi and the CLF, Riverdale has been a national leader in improving safety for high school football players. Mr. Pizzi commented “we’ve made changes that we want to see throughout high school football in America” and he hopes other leagues will follow. Mr. Pizzi has spoken to several schools around the country but he explains that “Riverdale is in a unique situation because we are a small group of schools within our league.” The challenge comes when games are played outside of Riverdale’s league and where other schools use different rules. In some cases when Riverdale plays against a non-league school of similar skill, they will play by Riverdale’s concussion safety rules. 

The proposed changes have been met with resistance by some. Pizzi remarks, “I think they’re fearful that taking the kickoff away is changing the game.” However, some Riverdale football players agree with Pizzi. Tristan Cornell, junior and middle linebacker and tight end, believes that it would only hinder the team if they play with a kickoff. 

In addition to this change, Riverdale has added other safety measures to make sure student athletes are safe. For example, Riverdale does baseline testing using an app called the Sway Test. This neurocognitive testing measures one’s balance, stability, and cognitive function. “This gives us a measurement to use as one of the many tools to decide if a student is ready to return to a game post-head injury,” said Ms. Gendron. 

Additionally, the football coaches take a training certification for a tackling technique called Atavus. This certification allows coaches to teach the “proper technique on how to tackle someone without getting your head in the way,” said Dan King, Head Athletic Trainer. 

Riverdale athletes need to stay healthy during the offseason in order to prevent injuries and concussions. Cornell and the rest of his teammates take “ice baths after practice, Epsom salt baths, stretch, and roll out.” Additionally, they drink SynaQuell +, made by Thorne, which is a supplement that supports brain health.

Due to the success of these reforms, Riverdale is now working with CLF on proposed rule changes to protect student-athlete safety across other sports such as soccer. 

Another positive outcome is an increase in the number of athletes playing football, as some parents who have been reluctant are now allowing their kids to play. Mr. Pizzi enthusiastically remarked, “It seems like it’s a little safer and, knock on wood, we’ve not had any concussions yet and hopefully it stays that way.”  

The Riverdale community is so grateful to Mr. Pizzi for his leadership, actively advocating for student safety and hopefully helping to shape the future of football.