The following special report by WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Sheldon Ingram first aired Nov. 11, 2005, on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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The danger is that many kids play with concussions and don't even know it.

That's when football is no longer a game, but a health hazard.

In football, speed and physicality are the weapons of choice.

But experts say players often lust for something more -- it's called the kill shot.

The victim often looks like a rag doll -- left with a bruising concussion.

It happened to Oliver High School fullback Tristian Phillips and West Mifflin senior Craig Savolskis.

Their problem -- both players returned to the football field before recovering from concussions. And that's dangerous.

"I was a little dazed. I felt sick to the stomach," said Savolskis.

"I would get headaches for no reason. I would see stars for no reason," described Phillips.

The two players also described not being able to stand up straight, and occasions when they would forget what they were talking about.

"The reaction was, 'Wow! We need to have him in an emergency room.' He was not looking good,' said Dr. Mark Lovell.

Lovell is directing a $5 million concussion research for UMPC Sports Medicine.

Their focus -- high school football players, because their brains are not fully developed. Therefore, it takes them longer to recover.

Lovell is trying to prevent something called "second impact syndrome," which has caused 30 deaths among high school players nationwide.

"That's an extreme syndrome that occurs when an athlete is not ready to go back in. His brain is still recovering, and that can be fatal," said Lovell. "That can actually cause bleeding within the brain. We do see it several times of the year (with high school kids). They come in and small blood vessels on the brain have been ruptured."

It's not just about treatment -- it's about prevention.

Channel 4 Action News went to Ottawa, Canada, to the laboratories of Biokinetics.

For the past eight years, it has been the leading researcher on helmet safety for the NFL and helmet manufacturers.

Chris Whitnall leads the research that has improved helmet safety during the past three years.

They use a concussion re-enactment machine and a linear impact machine to reconstruct the speed and collision angles of NFL football players.

What he saw, heard and learned was astonishing, Ingram said.

Biokinetics is using crash dummies. Inside the dummies are sensors to determine the impact position and speed of the attacking player.

What Biokinetics learned is that players -- from high school to the NFL -- all travel at speeds upwards to 25 mph during impact.

A child's brain cannot handle that kind of force, according to researchers.

Doctors at UMPC say trainers, parents and players must become more educated in concussion evaluations.

The risk is incurring long-term damage, effectively fumbling away the opportunity to have a normal life, doctors say.