NADA Board - Sports Medicine

 Promoting Sports Safety-Sports Medicine - Assisting Disabled Athletes seriously injured  -Darryl Stingley - Volunteer Board include many Hall of Fame members.

In a 1978 preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum on August 12, Stingley was hit by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. As Stingley stretched for an errant pass, he and Tatum collided.[2] Stingley's helmet made contact with Tatum's shoulder pad, compressing his spinal cord and breaking his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae.[5] He eventually regained limited movement in his right arm, but spent the rest of his life as a quadriplegic.[6] The injury came just after Stingley had finished negotiating a contract extension that would have made him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. The new contract was to be announced when the Patriots returned from the West Coast. Instead, it was never signed.[7]

Although controversial, the hit was not against NFL rules at the time, as it was not helmet-to-helmet contact (it was a shoulder-to-helmet contact). No penalty was called on the play.[8] Today, however, the NFL has banned all blows to the head or neck of a defenseless player, and has disallowed players to launch themselves in tackling defenseless players.[9]

The incident became a symbol of violence in football. Stingley reportedly described it as a "freak accident."[10] Because Stingley was a young player at the height of his career, his horrific injuries attracted significant public attention. Partly in response to Stingley's injuries, the NFL changed its rules and conventions to curtail aggressive plays.[11] Stingley told the Chicago Tribune that he approved of more restrictive officiating, saying "It has opened the game up to allow receivers to get downfield. And it has made the game more exciting."[12]

Tatum's coach, John Madden, and many of his teammates extended their sympathies to Stingley.[3] Madden's post-game rush to the hospital was the beginning of a close friendship.[13] In fact, during his visit Madden found himself the lone visitor in the hospital. No one from the Patriots was there, until Madden called their team and the team's charter plane, in takeoff mode, finally returned to the gate.[14] Raiders offensive guard Gene Upshaw also befriended Stingley, and later was instrumental in securing benefits for disabled players through the NFL Players' Association.[3]

A settlement was reached with the NFL, under which the Patriots agreed to pay for all of Stingley's medical expenses for the rest of his life as well as his and his children's education.[1

Back in 1979, Tom Scaglione, New England Patriots Darryl Stingley, catholic priest Father Kenneth Moore, decided that they would work together with prominent professional athletes, entertainers,  government leaders, physicians, researchers and business executives and form a nonprofit charity to assist youngsters paralyzed as a result of spinal cord injuries during their participation in sports.

The pledge -  "the National Association for Disabled Athletes (nada) would be an "all volunteer" non-profit  charity. No person would be financially compensated for their time". For the last 41 years, the charities, Executive Director, President,  all board member and staff have volunteered their time. The nada charity has a large computer data base and volunteer network.  We provide the much needed information and assistance  that families need after their child returns home from months at a rehabilitation hospital. Tom Scaglione and his spouse Jeannie Seeliger have financed the charities operating expenses for many years . Jeannie Seeliger a founding General Partner of the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers understood the needs of these families. She broke her back in Ireland during an Equestrian Show  Jumping competition.