NY considers ban on tackle football for children

(20 Nov 2019) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus126996



A New York lawmaker who proposed a law to ban tackle football for kids aged 12 and under says he hopes the bill passes soon because tackle football poses a "danger to developing brains."

Democratic assemblyman Michael Benedetto expects lawmakers in Albany to consider the ban when they return to work in January.

The proposal follows a new study by the Boston University School of Medicine that found that children who play tackle football may develop cognitive, behavioral and mood problems, and that the more years young athletes play, the more likely they are to succumb to the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

But many youth football coaches and parents say they don't believe tackling is hurting kids 12 and under because the children are taught safe tackle techniques and because the children are small enough that they can't hit each other hard enough to cause damage.



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