NFL QB Drew Stanton outfits Harrison team with protective equipment

FARMINGTON HILLS - Football star Drew Stanton is back in town to show some new safety gear to students at his old high school.

The football teams at Farmington Hills’ Harrison High School were outfitted with the new gear.

"It's always great to come back to the Midwest, this will always be home, especially Harrison high school,” says Stanton, back-up quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

Drew Stanton is an idol to Harrison High School football players.

“He's a great speaker, and obviously a leader, so that spoke to me,” said Anthony Giovanni, quarterback at Harrison high school.

Drew got his start where they are now, moving on to Michigan State University, and the Lions, and now, back-up quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. Now he is taking a quick trip back to his roots, to spread the word about a new trend in safety equipment.

"The product that we're giving all the kids today, every single kid will get fitted with EVOShield, that will be abdominal protectors that protect their internal organs,” said Stanton.

The EVOShield rib shirts were introduced to Drew last August by the Taylor Haugen Foundation, named for a Florida high school player killed on the field in 2008 after a hard hit crushed his liver.

"I actually wear the pads myself each time that I step out onto the field, and I firmly believe in them. So it was really a no-brainer for me to partner with them and join their cause and raise awareness for every single kid that steps on the football field,” said Stanton.

The rib shirts soften impact from hits on the kidneys, spleen, liver and other internal organs.

Fox 2: “It works like this, pads are inserted inside the shirt, and they form fit to each individual player, harden, and that protects their rib cage."

So far the foundation has outfitted nearly 3,000 students in 8 states with the gear, determined to make rib shirts a new standard for all high schools, colleges, and NFL teams.

“There's been a lot documented about concussions and heatstroke and stuff like this, so this is really that next wave of things that we can do to help prevent injuries while you step on the football field,” said Stanton.