New California Bill Would Ban Tackle Football Before High School
A bill introduced Thursday would ban tackle football before high school in California, according to Patrick McGreevy of the Los Angeles Times.
The "Safe Youth Football Act" was introduced by Kevin McCarty and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher. The aim of the bill is to curb any long-term brain damage that has been linked to the repetitive hits in the head that take place in football, such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE.
"The science is clear: head injuries sustained at a young age can harm kids for the rest of their lives," Gonzalez Fletcher said in a statement, according to the Times. "Developing skills through flag football before high school is sound public policy from a health and safety standpoint."
McCarty also noted that Jim Brown, Tom Brady, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor and Walter Payton played noncontact football, according to the Times.
Last month, Illinois lawmakers proposed a bill to ban tackle football for children under 12-years-old.
