NJ Teen Quarterback Helps Little Brother With Cerebral Palsy Make Team

LITTLE SILVER, NJ — Pierce Olsen always knew he needed to look out for his younger brother.

When Pierce was two years old, Leo was born with cerebral palsy. The brothers, now 17 and 15, live in Little Silver with their parents and a third brother, 12.

"He was born premature at two pounds, two ounces and he was born quadriplegic," explained Pierce, of Leo.

"He was in the NICU for a really long time and he's been in and out of surgeries his whole life: He had a heart surgery as an infant, double hip surgery, double foot surgery. He's had so many surgeries I can't even remember them all."

"He has many needs; it's been difficult," says Pierce. "He cannot walk; he uses a motorized wheelchair. He cannot control his limbs very well. Normal tasks that anyone has an easy time doing are very, very difficult for my brother."

Still, their parents made sure the three brothers had as normal a childhood as possible, said Pierce. "We would have foot races in the yard where I would race him in his wheelchair."

But Pierce acknowledges that having a sibling with special needs made him grow up faster.

"I remember as a young kid hearing my parents on the phone for hours arguing with insurance companies. Stuff like that. It made me become more of an adult, and grow up. My brother looks to me as a leader and a helper. I know I have to look out for him."

And one thing the three brothers all absolutely love is football.

"I started playing tackle football at age 6," says Pierce. "And Leo just loves football, he's always watching it and talking about it. But of course he could never play."

"It always bothered me: I saw all my friends having their brothers play football with them. I know if Leo could walk or didn't have this disability, he would be on my team."

Pierce was already on the varsity team when Leo started his freshman year at Red Bank Regional High School. The school is part of the Shore Conference. Before school even started last fall, Pierce went to head football coach Shane Fallon and asked if there was any position for his younger brother on the team.

Fallon said he was almost taken aback by how direct Pierce was in his request.

"He approached me and said my younger brother is coming in; he uses a wheelchair. Is there anything he can do to help out the program?" said Fallon. "My thought process was, OK, let's find a way to make this work. I didn't want to just say 'yes' to be nice and then have nothing for Leo to do. I really had to think about it and come up with a real position that would benefit Leo, benefit the program and benefit our other players and coaching staff."

Fallon talked to Athletic Director Michael Stoia and they decided Leo would record games and practices.

"We actually did need someone to film practices so I could see where we needed to improve, so it was a good fit. He's kind of like an extension of our coaching staff," said Fallon. "I talked to Leo about it beforehand and I told him this was a big commitment: He had to be at practice every day, on the field; I would give him a practice plan beforehand and he had to follow the players."

Leo has proved himself to be an asset to the team for the past two seasons, say both Fallon and Stoia.

"Leo is very attentive to detail; he takes great pride in what he does," said Fallon. "He is there for every practice and game. He knows where he is supposed to go on the field and when. It's been a great experience working with him. I really think this is something Leo could continue with when he graduates from Red Bank Regional and goes to college. I think he can latch onto any program and assist the coaching staff, whether its football, basketball or wrestling. He's organized, smart and has a good work ethic."

Leo has a jersey (#40; his brother is quarterback and #18), and goes with the team to all home and road games, all spaghetti dinners and is invited to all team parties. "When we win, he celebrates with us," said Fallon. "When we lose, he feels our pain."

And: "When Pierce is not playing well, Leo is usually the first to let him know," said Fallon.

Stoia said having Leo on the team speaks to how inclusive Red Bank Regional High School is.

"Leo was also voted sophomore class president; he just gave a speech before the whole class. He's sharp as a tack, he's brilliant, quick witted and will give you a run for your money," said Stoia. "The kids here just think it's normal. At the end of the day, you just do the right thing."

This fall, Stoia and Fallon nominated quarterback Pierce for the 2022 USA Football "Heart of a Giant" award for looking out for his younger brother. The awards, from the New York Giants, are given annually every October. You can learn more and vote by clicking here.