The City of Philadelphia honors SAFR & ISAA for their impact on the city athletes

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Anthony Franklin | January 24, 2026

Thursday afternoon the city of Philadelphia presented SAFR and ISAA with citations for the work they’ve done making football in the city safer for players regardless of economic status and backgrounds. Among those in attendance who spoke thanking the organizations for their presence and love within the city were Philadelphia city council woman Cindy Bass who emphasized how great it is to have a company home grown take an interest in protecting the young men in the city from life changing head injuries.

CEO John Zeglinski is a former Archbishop Ryan football player who started in the city before shining and staring at Wake Forest. He spoke on the importance of making the game many love as safe as possible for players so that after they’ve finished playing they’ll be able to live normal lives without post career traumatic head injuries and diseases such as CTE. His partner Carlos Bradley is a Germantown High School graduate who also started at Wake Forest before being drafted in the 11th round of the 1982 NFL draft by the Chargers. Carlos would enjoy a 7 year NFL career before turning the chapter and starting ISAA which provides support to local athletes with offseason training as well as academic support and mentorship.

John and Carlos both shared how their experience playing in the city shaped their lives and how giving back to the city athletes fuels their drive with SAFR sports. Currently they have shells for city league schools and are working on deals to provide them to the middle school teams. They also have started looking into shells for other sports such as lacrosse and hockey.

The City of Philadelphia formally recognizes locally based SAFR, for its leadership in advancing concussion prevention and athlete protection through proven football helmet cover technology.  

In collaboration with donations from city-wide sponsors and the International Student Athlete Academy (ISAA), SAFR outfitted more than 1,500 high school athletes with protective covers at no cost to them, ensuring accessibility for all.  

Under the “We Make Philadelphia Football SAFR” initiative, 28 high school programs at schools such as West Philadelphia, Northeast, Archbishop Ryan and Simon Gratz now benefit from top-tier concussion safeguards, extending into future seasons.  

Key partnerships and donations from Ron Jaworski, La-Z-Boy Furniture, Specialty Freight, the NFL Foundation, Teamsters Joint Council 53 and its affiliated Locals, Fritz & Bianculli Law Firm, and numerous individual community supporters have played a vital role in expanding the reach and impact of the program.

With these efforts, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are now gaining recognition as a national leader in high school concussion prevention, setting a powerful example across the country.  

This campaign’s success has directly led to State Representative Sean Dougherty’s proposed 2025 legislation to require impact-reducing, soft-shell covers for state high school football players in practices and games.

Through its patented Scientifically Advanced Force Reduction (SAFR) technology, SAFR has become a national leader in reducing impact-related risk in contact sports—particularly football—where head injuries remain a critical concern. Each year, more than 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur in the United States, with youth athletes comprising the most vulnerable population due to ongoing brain development.

SAFR is led by executives who are former Philadelphia Public and Catholic League football players, bringing firsthand experience and deep Philadelphia community roots to its mission of protecting young athletes.

“With the help of our sponsors and donors, we focused on ensuring that our hometown,

Philadelphia, is at the forefront of player protection. This recognition from the City of Philadelphia, underscores the importance of proactive, science-backed solutions to protect young athletes and ensure the long-term health of the game. We look forward to Pennsylvania working to protect all state-wide players.” said John Zeglinski, CEO of SAFR Sports.

Phil Gormley, Athletic Director Philadelphia Public League PL Football Chairman from Northeast

High School, commented, “We appreciate the effort by SAFR and its team. Our kids in the Public Schools rarely have the opportunity to receive such a wonderful gift. We are excited that we will be reducing concussion risk as a result”

Similarly, Stephen Haug Executive Director of Athletics Office of Catholic Education said, “The Archdiocese is always focused on player safety. We hope this will both protect our players and also encourage parents and coaches to play this great game safely.”

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