Jets’ Leggett helping raise awareness for abdominal injuries

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) >> Jordan Leggett remembers the sudden buzz on the sideline and in the stands as cellphones lit up with texts delivering the scary news.

A young player from a rival high school football squad in Florida had been seriously injured during a game and he might not make it.

“Everybody on the team where I was from was like, ‘Oh, man, he must’ve just got like a big hit,’” the New York Jets tight end recalled. “We heard later that he passed away, so it was kind of a big deal.”

Taylor Haugen was only 15 on Aug. 30, 2008, when he went out across the middle of the field for a pass, reached up and grabbed the football — and was immediately slammed into by two defenders, one to the front of his body and the other to his back. The impact to Haugen’s abdominal area ruptured his liver and the Niceville High School wide receiver was rushed to the hospital, where he died a few hours later.

“The surgeons who worked on my child all night said it looked like a car crash,” Kathy Haugen

said in a telephone interview.

Leggett, who was a wide receiver for nearby Navarre High School in the Florida Panhandle, had never met Haugen, but was shaken by his stunning death. Ten years later, Leggett is honoring his memory with his “Touchdowns For Taylor” campaign, working with Haugen’s parents and the Taylor Haugen Foundation to raise awareness about abdominal injuries in youth football and trying to educate parents, players and coaches about how to better prevent them.

Shortly after Leggett was drafted by New York in the fifth round out of Clemson last year, his agents asked if he was interested in supporting any charities. Leggett talked to someone from back home, and they mentioned the Taylor Haugen Foundation.

“It just brought back all those memories from back in high school because I was there (in Florida) when it happened,” Leggett said. “So, it was just something I wanted to be a part of.”

The 23-year-old Leggett started the “Touchdowns For Taylor” charity campaign last season through the sports fundraising platform Pledge It, with donors contributing money for every touchdown catch by the Jets this season.

“We’ve never been Jets fans in our entire lives,” Brian Haugen said with a big laugh, “but we find ourselves rooting for the Jets to score touchdowns.”

New York has 11 TD catches so far, with Leggett contributing to the total with the first of his NFL career in Week 4 at Jacksonville.

“Last year, I didn’t get to play at all and my soon-tobe mother-in-law actually thought it would be cool to donate as much as my jersey number, so with 86, she’ll donate $86 per touchdown,” said a smiling Leggett, who missed last season with a knee injury. “We had a lot of touchdowns last year and she thought it was specifically just for my touchdowns, so it was kind of funny because she was the biggest donor.”

Leggett and Haugen’s parents met for the first time in July in Florida, where they were able to chat about life in the NFL, high school rivalries, chilly Northeast weather — and, most of all, Taylor, and their combined mission.

“He’s just a great kid,” Kathy Haugen said of Leggett. “He’s a wonderful person and we’re really honored that he wanted to do something to give back to his community and chose the foundation and our son’s legacy to do it.”