Massachusetts Could Ban Tackle Football For Young Children

BOSTON, MA — Youth football players in Massachusetts may have to wait until they are teenagers to learn how to tackle if a bill currently in the State House becomes law.

Rep. Paul A. Schmid III, Rep. Bradley H. Jones, Jr., Rep. Louis L. Kafka, along with 15 other legislators, have cosponsored a bill that would ban children from playing tackle football until the eighth grade. Bill HD 2501 would only allow flag football until then. If the bill becomes law, any league or school that doesn't follow the rule could face a fine of $2,000 to start. The fine increases for repeat violations.

The bill, "An act for no organized head impacts to school children," if approved would become the second law on the books for preventing head injuries in athletic competition. The current law says any student athlete who gets knocked unconscious or becomes concussed cannot return to their respective sport without written permission from a doctor or certified athletic trainer. The bill would be the first to address age as a concern with regards to head injuries.

Schmidt told WFXT that when young people suffer head injuries, the damage is worse and last longer than it would for someone in their mid-teens.