By Joshua Graves and Leah Volpe
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
Maryland football could suffer a major blow if the General Assembly passes a bill that would ban children under the age of 14 from playing physical sports on public property, according to several high school and college coaches who were interviewed over the past week.
The coaches said the bill being sponsored by Sen. William C. Smith Jr., D-Montgomery County, and Del. Terri L. Hill, D-Baltimore County, could result in kids leaving Maryland for football programs in Pennsylvania and other states.
They also said HB-1210 would hurt kids from economically disadvantaged background because it would apply only to public recreation programs – not private. This would mean some children and teenagers wouldn’t be able to play football unless they came from families with money.
“Kids will start leaving and moving to other programs outside of Maryland,” said Logan Kurek, the offensive coordinator for Calvert Hall High School’s football team. “It will hurt Maryland’s youth football reputation of producing high quality football players.”
Richard George, a cardiologist and a coach in Hereford Youth Football, a member of the Upper Chesapeake Youth Football League, said the legislators’ attempt to protect young football players from the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that has afflicted some NFL players is unfounded because there is little evidence of a link between CTE and children who start playing the sport at a young age.
“If passed, youth football would end as we know it in the state of Maryland,” George said. “This would further widen the socio-economic divide seen in such sports as children from more economically disadvantaged backgrounds would not have the opportunity to join these private schools and clubs offering.”
Lance Yaniger, Towson University’s director of football operations, said the ban could change the game of football forever.
“If it’s a safety measure, it could be a step in the right direction, making sure the people who play the game are educated on how to be as safe as they can be,” Yaniger said. “This will affect the amount of experience the players have. There will be an inevitable adjustment.”
Towson University’s head football coach, Rob Ambrose, took to Twitter to express his opinion toward the legislation, calling it “Yet another attack on Football.”
Under the bill, elementary and middle schools would no longer be allowed to offer “physical sports” programs that could lead to head injuries or concussions, including football, soccer with head butting, ice or field hockey with checking, lacrosse or tackle rugby.
The bill would apply to intramural, interscholastic and physical education programs. High school students would be permitted to play these sports provided they take a state or county program that educates them about the risks of playing physical sports.
The bill comes several years after an ESPN and Frontline investigative report outlined how the NFL concealed what it knew about the risks of CTE from its players. CTE has been blamed for the early deaths of several NFL greats, including Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
ESPN has reported that 96 percent of the deceased NFL players that had been studied over the past 10 years had tested positive for degenerative brain disease. In addition, the sports network has said that research done by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University found that 87 of 91 NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE, which has also appeared in almost 80 percent of the football players who participated in the study.
In addition, a study done by Boston University found that football players who played before the age of 12 were more likely to have behavioral issues and slower brain development compared to people who didn’t play before the age of 12.
“As a former NFL player with extensive experience with concussions, this bill enhances the safety of all youth sports participants within the state of Maryland,” Madieu Williams, who played professionally with the Washington Redskins, said during testimony in Annapolis last Thursday. Williams assisted Hill with the legislation.
During a hearing on the legislation last week, Hill said the proposed ban is an attempt to protect public health rather than an attack on football.
“I’m hoping that what we all understand is that when we know better, we do better,” Hill said during the hearing. “And we’re talking about vulnerable people and developing brains and what we’re doing now is addressing this issue to a certain extent in the school system.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edpTZsdYFL4
The publicity about the NFL has had an impact. According to an Aspen Institute study, involvement in youth football has dropped by 26 percent in the last 10 years.
Other states, including Illinois, New York and California, are considering similar measures to the one before the Maryland General Assembly.
Local football coaches who were interviewed said they are concerned for the safety of young players, but some thought the Maryland legislation was not based on fact.
“Remember, there is no proven link of youth football to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),” George said. “In fact, cross-sectional studies that examine the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in those who did or did not play football show no differences between the two groups. Therefore, Delegate Hill is proposing a ban based on a theoretical risk that has not been linked to youth football and other contact sports.”
Mark Hyman, a journalist and an author of three books relating to youth sports and their dangers, said he worries about the long-term effects playing football may have on children. But he added that individuals should have an opportunity to play if they want.
“Do we really want to expose our kids to a life that’s, you know, kids who have nothing but potential and opportunity ahead of them, do we really want to limit them in that way?” Hyman said. “I think that’s really what we’re talking about.”
Loyola Blakefield football coach Anthony Zehyoue said the problem of head injuries would be better solved by allowing coaches to implement safety rules themselves.
“Those individuals (coaches) are most critical in helping implement safer techniques to increase the experience and safety of youth players,” Zehyoue said. “The problem with HB-1210 is that it does not address the development of coaches and other professionals.”
Daron Reid, a football coach at Dulaney High School, said he understands both sides and wants a better compromise.
“I’m kind of in the middle,” Reid said. “I don’t want young kids to not have the opportunity to play. I don’t think [the legislation] is necessary. A better compromise would be to allow kids to start playing in middle school. With the better coaching that we have and the awareness we’re trying to bring to the game to keep kids safe, I think it’s [football] safer.”
Coaches said another concern is that young football players who are not taught early how to tackle will be at greater risk when they reach high school because they will not have learned the fundamentals of safe tackling when they were younger.
“I think not allowing children under the age of 14 to tackle will lead to a lot more injuries,” said Chris Pruett, the president of Jarrettsville Youth Football. “If you’re not allowed to tackle until your 14 that means you won’t learn the proper way. As for the development of football in Maryland, I think it will lead to less scouts coming to see players because they’ll be so underdeveloped. College football in Maryland will decrease dramatically.”
“The bill completely ignores the benefits our children derive from playing football,” George said. “Football is a special and unique game. It doesn’t matter whether you are big or small, fast or slow; there is a position for you on the football field. A ban would deprive thousands of children across our state from sports that provide much needed physical activity in an age when obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases are becoming epidemics in our communities.”
In addition to a ban on tackle football, Hill also introduced HB-552, which would require an individual who has completed concussion risk and management training to be on site at all times during practices and games to assess head injuries of players.
Hill hopes to reach more contact sports beyond football with HB-552 and HB-1210. A hearing on HB-1210 will be held March 2 at the House of Delegates.
Baltimore Watchdog staff writer Khadean Coombs contributed to this report.