We had the good fortune of connecting with Roger Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roger, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Being a former professional rugby player, and speaking with various football players from high school all the way through to the NFL, I was convinced from having these multiple conversations around the safety of the tackle technique that I grew up with that I could make a massive different to many football players’ lives from a long term health standpoint.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I played professional rugby for 15 years, playing 350 pro games and representing my native country Ireland during that time. From the very first practices that I can remember, we were taught religiously how to tackle a player correctly with out putting our head in the way and therefore reducing the risk of brain injuries. Remember, in rugby we don’t have the luxury of wearing helmets! Safety has always been number one for me when it comes to sports, and in particular youth sports. When I found out how most football coaches “coached” the tackle technique I was horrified. It was dangerous, outdated and incredibly irresponsible to say the least. My company is the only one in the DFW Metroplex specifically designed to coach kids safer and more effective tackle techiques, to not only reduce the number of head impacts, but also to improve confidence and make them a better tackler, allowing them to take that progression from flag to tackle or from junior to senior high.
It hasn’t been an easy process convincing many of the coaches, particularly the ones with old school mentality. but when it comes to safety in sport I will continue to fight this battle.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Most of my friends or family would be visiting from overseas so I would definitely look to give them that unique Texas experience, being a proud Texan and recent new citizen of the US! I would definitely take them to the Stockyards in Fort Worth, a Friday night lights high school football experience, the Star in Frisco, the Dallas Arboretum, and Downtown McKinney which is a favorite of mine!
A traditional Texas BBQ would be a must too!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate where I am in life to my late father who passed away in 2 years ago. He was an inspirational figure to me growing up and I will be forever grateful for the the knowledge, drive and work ethic that he instilled in me which I rely on every day in life.

Website: https://www.tacklesmartsports.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacklesmart

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwilson678/

Image Credits
I have the rights to all of these images.

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