Podcast appearances and mentions of kevin saum

Let me tell you...Kevin Saum has a story to tell! Overcoming a life or death experience Kevin unravels his intense near death experience and shares how he transformed his life thereafter. If you have any interest in sports, check out his podcast Heads n' Tales to hear some incredible stories from players who faced their own obstacles on & off the field.

How do you define toughness? What characters, images, and stories come to mind when you think of displays of toughness? As athletes, we grow up thinking toughness is never letting anything get in our way of winning. It is playing injured. It is showing up early, outworking everyone, and leaving last. It is doing anything and everything necessary to be as  best prepared come game day...and then some. The toughest are feared by their opponents, respected by their teammates, legends to their coaches, and adored by the fans.At 17, Kevin Saum was the epitome of tough. Groomed and influenced by the external validation and outcome oriented ideal of what toughness is to an athlete, he would give everything to earn this label.He did just that. And it almost killed him.After suffering a traumatic brain injury that nearly cost him his life, Kevin found himself in an entirely new fight: Who am I if I am not Kevin the toughest football player around?Kevin is one of the lucky few who survived second-impact syndrome, but his identity as a hard-nose, tough player died the night he was airlifted off the field to fight for survival.What transpired next in Kevin's life is a story of rediscovery through struggle,  how he learned to redefine what toughness truly is, and how he serves others to inspire courageous action that could very well save aspiring athlete's lives. Kevin is a true inspiration, a beautiful human, and one damn tough dude.You can listen to his podcast Heads N Tales on all podcast platforms, find him on LinkedIn, and visit his website http://www.headsntales.org/.Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)

Kevin Saum was an excellent high school football player who loved running over defenders on his way to the end zone. But that style of play led to an incident that cost him his dream of playing in college -- and nearly ended his life. Now he wants other athletes to know that there are more important things than football and better ways to define toughness. He takes a break from his own podcast -- "Heads N' Tales" -- to share his story with Razed Sports. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/razedsports/message

In this episode, we interview former West Morris Central runningback Kevin Saum. Kevin suffered a traumatic brain injury called Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) during a high school football game against Morris Knolls on October 5, 2007. SIS has a 50% mortality rate and nearly 100% morbidity rate, yet Kevin miraculously survived with full cognitive and physical abilities, but was no longer able to pursue his dream of playing college football. Although Kevin knew how fortunate he was, his transition to life after sports was trying. Despite his disappointment and depression, Kevin felt inspired to be the voice for those athletes who weren’t as lucky as he was and cannot share their story. Heads ‘N Tales was created to be a platform where athletes can share their tales of perseverance to help inspire anyone in their time of need. After graduating from Georgetown with a master’s degree in sports industry management and with hopes of raising concussion awareness and improving sports safety, Kevin Saum established the Heads ‘N Tales podcast to share inspiring stories of perseverance and the latest innovations in sports health. Keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times folks and buckle up as you listen to Kevin's amazing story of heart break, despair and triumph.  

After each week of NFL football games for the 2017-2018 season, the Heads 'N Tales podcast will be posting an episode dedicated to injuries and health & safety topics surrounding the NFL. Specifically we will talk about possible prevention strategies, the rulebook, equipment and other injury buzz around the league.  My co-host and strategist for these episodes will be one of my closest friends, Josh Boyd (hence the J in "JK"..I'm the K...).  Josh and I grew up playing baseball together. Josh was a division-1 center fielder for Monmouth University and experienced his fair share of injuries throughout his career.  Although Josh never played organized football, the dude flat-out knows the game of football and undoubtably knows more about the ins-and-outs of the sport better than I do from both a fan and x's & o's perspective.  Our intention for these episodes is to spark conversations around topics that are usually brushed under the rug or only minimally covered in the hopes of making football and all sports safer for the athletes who play them.   You are currently looking at the show notes for THE 2017-18 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS! DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF INJURIES & PLAYS: EAGLES 15, FALCONS 10 SANU DREW AN UNWARRANTED UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS PENALTY NEAR THE GOAL LINE. Most Instagram comments voiced this being a clean hit and we agree. Is this an example of why the NFL should implement the NCAA targeting rule? We understand there are different implications, but definitely food for thought. DEVONTA FREEMAN FALCONS RB, PLAYED THE END OF THE SEASON WITH MCL AND PCL SPRAINS IN HIS RIGHT KNEE.   vaughn mcclure@vxmcclure23   Falcons RB Devonta Freeman played the end of the season with MCL and PCL sprains in his right knee. ``I hope I don't have to,'' Freeman said of the possibility of having offseason surgery. Freeman emphasized that the injuries had nothing to do with his... http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-40015327-4 … 9:42 PM - Jan 13, 2018    1515 Replies      107107 Retweets      137137 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   I preach constantly that Devonta Freeman's running style is not how a running back maximizes career longevity, but he might be on to something.   Josh and I discuss why Freeman's running style might be calculated... PATRIOTS 35, TITANS 14 LAADRIAN WADDLES, NEW ENGLAND OT, KNEE     Ryan Hannable   ✔@RyanHannable   LaAdrian Waddle, who left Saturday's game with a knee injury, just walked through the Patriots locker room. Didn't have any limp or brace. 3:41 PM - Jan 15, 2018    55 Replies      6464 Retweets      220220 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   View image on Twitter   Allan Bell, Jr.   ✔@AllanBell247   Report: Optimism low regarding injury to Patriots right tackle LaAdrian Waddle:http://247nfl.co/2mAv5fS #TENvsNE 1:21 AM - Jan 14, 2018    Replies      Retweets      22 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   MARCUS MARIOTA, TENNESEE QB, QUAD INJURY   Bobby Koch@RekedFantasy   Making excuses for bad play calling is not a good lookhttp://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22090928/marcus-mariota-suffered-quad-injury-affected-mobility-new-england-patriots … 2:58 PM - Jan 14, 2018 Mariota injury forced Titans to alter schemes A first-quarter quad injury limited Marcus Mariota's mobility, forcing the Titans to change some of their schemes during Saturday's 35-14 loss to the Patriots. espn.com    Replies      Retweets      likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   Mariota has been banged up his whole career so far. Broken leg in 2016. hamstring, knee and shoulder this year. Can mobile QB's be a teams QB for the long haul? Cam Newton seems to be the exception. JACK CONKLIN, TITANS RT, TORN ACL View image on Twitter   Allan Bell, Jr.   ✔@AllanBell247   Jack Conklin got rolled up, Eric Decker could tell immediately trying to get people off him. #TitanUp 8:43 PM - Jan 13, 2018    11 Reply      22 Retweets      11 like Twitter Ads info and privacy   Click tweet below for video:   civildiscourse@Keenevoter Replying to @CalebCalhoun and 3 others   Watch the video. Titans player pushes patriots player into Conklin. How is that the Patriots fault?http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000906036/Jack-Conklin-leaves-game-with-apparent-injury-after-being-rolled-up-on … 1:12 PM - Jan 14, 2018 Jack Conklin leaves game with apparent injury after being rolled up on Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Jack Conklin gets injured after being rolled up on and leaves the game. nfl.com    11 Reply      Retweets      likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   JAGUARS 45, STEELERS 42 LEONARD FOURNETTE, JACKSONVILLE RB, ANKLE, SEEMS FINE... Click tweet below for video:   Kevin Saum@ksaum37   Leonard Fournette limps off field after 10-yard catch http://fw.to/mLkzsgZ  8:09 PM - Jan 16, 2018 Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette limps off field after 10-yard catch Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette limps off field after this 10-yard reception. nfl.com    Replies      Retweets      likes Twitter Ads info and privacy       Bleacher Preacher / Sports@BleachrPreachr   Rub some dirt on it, Leonard... #NFLPlayoffs #JAXvsPIT #Fournette 2:12 PM - Jan 14, 2018    11 Reply      33 Retweets      88 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy     David J. Chao, MD   ✔@ProFootballDoc   No boot is key (& expected). Chronic ankle injury allows @_fournette quick recovery and good to go #JAXvsNEhttp://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/profootballdoc/sd-sp-pfd-leonard-fournette-ankle-afc-championship-0114-story.html … https://twitter.com/eric_adelson/status/952975020195766275 … 9:42 PM - Jan 15, 2018 Fournette's injury not new, which is why he finished game and will play vs. Patriots Jaguard running back Leonard Fournett should be effective against Patriots in the AFC Championship game. sandiegouniontribune.com    11 Reply      44 Retweets      99 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   Also, apparently okay after being in car accident today:  15 Jan NFL Network   ✔@nflnetwork "You ain't doing nothing but fueling the fire."@Nate13Burleson: If you come at the Patriots, you best not miss. : @gmfb pic.twitter.com/XBYYCEfZdj   jamessox42@jamessox421   So speaking of the Pats, guess you heard Fournette was in a small car accident. Everyone is okay and the driver above was not ticketed. It’s almost like flags in Foxboro. pic.twitter.com/8I0CTND2WN 4:53 PM - Jan 16, 2018    Replies      Retweets      likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   PAUL POSLUSZNY, JAGUARS LB,  ABDOMINAL INJURY   The Jaguars Wire   ✔@TheJaguarsWire   REPORT: #Jaguars LB Paul Posluszny playing through a painful core injury, may require surgery afterward. https://usat.ly/2EIu1gF  11:01 AM - Jan 14, 2018 REPORT: Paul Posluszny playing through a painful core injury, may require surgery afterward One thing that has never been questioned about Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny is his toughness, and that will especially be the case Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Per NFL … jaguarswire.usatoday.com    22 Replies      33 Retweets      22 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   K. Saum doppelganger?  DANTE FOWLER, JACKSONVILLE DE, SHOULDER INJURY (DID NOT RETURN)   z-#Sacksonville   ✔@Jaguars   INJURY UPDATE: DE Dante Fowler Jr. has a shoulder injury and is QUESTIONABLE to return. 3:39 PM - Jan 14, 2018    1010 Replies      3535 Retweets      108108 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   TASHAUN GIPSON, JACKSONVILLE S, FOOT (DID NOT RETURN)   Football Radio Show@footballrs   Tashaun Gipson suffered foot injury Sundayhttp://jacksonville.com/sports/jaguars/2018-01-13/jaguars-notebook-receivers-get-involved-timely-plays … 10:20 AM - Jan 15, 2018 Jaguars Notebook: Receivers get involved with timely plays PITTSBURGH – The Jaguars’ receivers combined for six catches in Sunday’s 45-42 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not a hefty number, but the impact of those receptions played a big part in the... jacksonville.com    Replies      Retweets      11 like Twitter Ads info and privacy   ANTONIO BROWN'S COMEBACK:     bo@Bo_knows_Lanham   on fourth down, with the game on the line, getting held the entire way down the field, antonio brown makes the touchdown catch, best of all-time 3:45 PM - Jan 14, 2018    1414 Replies      119119 Retweets      406406 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy       Sports Degens@TheSportsDegens   Welcome back Antonio Brown with the one handed touchdown grab #HereWeGo #NFLDivisionalRound #JAXvsPIT 2:09 PM - Jan 14, 2018    Replies      11 Retweet      33 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy     Michael David Smith   ✔@MichaelDavSmith   Antonio Brown, playing through the flu and a torn calf: Seven catches, 132 yards, two touchdowns. One of the things I hate in the playoffs is when a good performance gets overlooked because it came in a losing effort. Brown was great today. 4:28 PM - Jan 14, 2018    1313 Replies      167167 Retweets      301301 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   VIKINGS 29, SAINTS 24 ANDREW SENDEJO, MINNESOTA S, CONCUSSION...APPARENTLY DOING BETTER.     Sports Illustrated   ✔@SInow   Scary moment for Andrew Sendejo. 6:47 PM - Jan 14, 2018    3535 Replies      8484 Retweets      169169 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy   SHAMAR STEPHEN, MINNESOTA DT, KNEE The injury occurred on the play below.  You can see Shamar start to go down at the bottom of the screen...but not really...     Def Pen Sports@DefPenSports   tipped... PICKED! Anthony Barr comes up with the second interception on Drew Brees today #SKOL 5:50 PM - Jan 14, 2018    Replies      11 Retweet      11 like Twitter Ads info and privacy   MARCUS WILLIAMS MISSED TACKLE Was this a result of being afraid to draw a penalty? Not seeing what he hits? Josh and I think everyone needs to cut Marcus some slack. Funny Titanic Version of the play below (Sound On)  JAGS VS. PATRIOTS PREVIEW VIKINGS VS. EAGLES PREVIEW ***Keep the Heads 'N Tales Instagram story on your radar going into this weekend to cast your vote on who you have for the upcoming playoff games***

From left to right, Kevin Saum, JR Nisivoccia, Justin Papa, Brian Bond A few months back, my friends at Mind Of The Athlete posted an article on their Facebook page about a new proposal for modified tackle football by the sport's governing body, USA Football.  This is an an attempt to mimic similar sports leagues like little league baseball which has a gradual progression to the traditional sport.  I decided to organize a discussion on this new variation of American football with some of my friends and former guests of the podcast.  JR Nisivoccia (episode 3) is a Physical Therapist and serves as the USA Football Safety Coordinator for his town's recreation football program. Justin Papa is a post-rehab personal trainer and a former high school football mad-man who was never afraid to throw his body around on the field.  Brian Bond (episode 31) is a former professional football player who overcame 3 ACL injuries.  The proposed rule changes listed in the NPR article are as follows: Big Rule Changes Could Make Youth Football Games A Whole Lot Smaller A smaller playing field, which dramatically shrinks the 100-yard field to a length of 40 yards. The smaller size allows a typical field to be split in half, so that two separate games can be played on the same surface at once. Fewer players on each side. In a typical game, 11 players for each team would be on the field at once; in the modified version USA Football plans to audition, that number will be reduced to seven — though it hasn't ruled out the possibility of anywhere from six to nine. There will be no special teams. In other words, that means no special teams in a bid to cut down on the punishing open-field hits those plays often involve. Players at the line of scrimmage cannot use a "three-point stance" — a body position that allows for great leverage and more power off the line. Players must rotate positions, rather than specialize in just one. Coaches must ensure players of equal size are matched up against each other. Below are the articles we all read in preparation for the discussion: Not Safe for

From left to right, Kevin Saum, JR Nisivoccia, Justin Papa, Brian Bond A few months back, my friends at Mind Of The Athlete posted an article on their Facebook page about a new proposal for modified tackle football by the sport's governing body, USA Football.  This is an an attempt to mimic similar sports leagues like little league baseball which has a gradual progression to the traditional sport.  I decided to organize a discussion on this new variation of American football with some of my friends and former guests of the podcast.  JR Nisivoccia (episode 3) is a Physical Therapist and serves as the USA Football Safety Coordinator for his town's recreation football program. Justin Papa is a post-rehab personal trainer and a former high school football mad-man who was never afraid to throw his body around on the field.  Brian Bond (episode 31) is a former professional football player who overcame 3 ACL injuries.  The proposed rule changes listed in the NPR article are as follows: Big Rule Changes Could Make Youth Football Games A Whole Lot Smaller A smaller playing field, which dramatically shrinks the 100-yard field to a length of 40 yards. The smaller size allows a typical field to be split in half, so that two separate games can be played on the same surface at once. Fewer players on each side. In a typical game, 11 players for each team would be on the field at once; in the modified version USA Football plans to audition, that number will be reduced to seven — though it hasn't ruled out the possibility of anywhere from six to nine. There will be no special teams. In other words, that means no special teams in a bid to cut down on the punishing open-field hits those plays often involve. Players at the line of scrimmage cannot use a "three-point stance" — a body position that allows for great leverage and more power off the line. Players must rotate positions, rather than specialize in just one. Coaches must ensure players of equal size are matched up against each other. Below are the articles we all read in preparation for the discussion: Not Safe for Children? Football’s Leaders Make Drastic Changes to Youth Game N.F.L.-Backed Youth Program Says It Reduced Concussions. The Data Disagrees. Pop Warner Bans Kickoffs in Hopes of Protecting Its Youngest Players Below is an outline of our conversation: What will a smaller playing field do for the game? Potentially more collisions  Less room to pick up speed From JR's coaching experience, most of the big hits in youth football occur at the line of scrimmage. Less incentive to run? Does decreasing the number of players on the field (6-9) improve safety ? Rugby Seven, Sprint football comparison Does more running = better fitness? How important are special teams to the essence of the game? Who is affected most by not allowing "three-point stance" on the line of scrimmage?" We came to the conclusion that the interior defensive lineman will most affected. Will this avoid helmet contact? How feasible are mandated position rotations? Pros and cons Avoiding sport specialization Will this deter bigger athletes? Can coaches be trusted to ensure players of equal size will be lined up against each other? How realistic is this? What happens when the big kids rotate to a ball-carrying position? JR's experience with the USA Football Heads Up Tackling program Sees a lack of translation on to the field Feels that coaches are the problem Toughness Definitions Overall, our opinion as a group was that this modified version of tackle football will most likely not improve safety, but we all respect the efforts of USA Football to create a more sustainable game.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.  By discussing the issues at hand, we will make the sport and culture safer for the athletes who love to play the game as much as we did. Download Episode 76 : iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud Permalink

It was a big game for Kevin Saum. He scored a touchdown. And a little later, he nearly died on the field. This was after shaking off days of symptoms from concussion and after years of striving to make his number 37 stand for toughness. Looking back, he shudders at the risks he took, but he doesn't blame his opponents or coaches. He blames a mindset that made him ignore pain and his own misgivings. Now, with personal appearances and his podcast ”Heads 'n Tales,” he seeks to share the stories of other athletes less fortunate than he was, and to help others avoid and overcome injuries. This talk comes just over a year after The Spaniard appeared on Kevin's podcast. It's an outstanding (wait for it) skull session.

The Rutgers Scoutcast is a weekly podcast for Rutgers fans of all varieties. In our latest episode, we sit down with Kevin Saum of the Heads 'N Tales podcast, a former football student manager under Greg Schiano and Kyle Flood. Saum's football career ended in tragedy when Second Impact Syndrome nearly took his life. We discuss injury culture with Saum as well as his time at Rutgers and relationship with Michael Burton. National recruiting analyst Brian Dohn joins the show to discuss the quarterback situation and the recent strides by verbal commit Johnathan Lewis at the position. Read more about Saum's story and activities or the original Daily Targum story about Saum and other Rutgers athletes, please visit  ScarletReport.com and headsntales.org. NOW ON ITUNES AND STITCHER Please rate, review and subscribe. To jump right into the action, a timesheet is available below for your convenience. 0:00 - Open 5:20 - Kevin Saum Conversation 31:00 - Rutgers Quarterback Competition 39:30 - Recruiting Spotlight on Johnathan Lewis of Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep 43:45 - Linebacker Depth Issues after Najee Clayton Departure, Trevor Morris Injury 50:00 - Rutgers Mailbag - Kemoko Turay and Pregame Traditions 54:14 - Close  For Past Episodes and a Packed Interview Archive, Click Below.

In high school, Kevin Saum played football, and on one play he got hit in the head so hard that it ended his career.  After that experience, he felt a wave of emotions about what he should do with his life, since his whole life was wrapped up in being a football player. Fortunately, he overcame these obstacles, and became an equipment manager for the Rutgers football team, and now does speaking engagements to help young people deal with the experiences they will inevitably have to overcome. We did a back and forth podcast, where I interviewed him and he interviewed me at some points.  I hope you like it. For more about Kevin, just go to headsntales.org