Football Tackling Bill Can't Pass House
A bill proposed to limit the number of days youth football players could tackle during season practice died in committee Thursday.
A controversial bill (House Bill 1205) sponsored by State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) to limit tackling in youth football practice failed in committee Thursday, according to the Illinois General Assembly website.
The bill was tabled, though Sente told the Chicago Tribune she intends to forge ahead and speak to the Illinois High School Association and report back to the House committee before the legislative session end in May.
Sente hosted a community forum at Vernon Hills High School in February on the dangers of concussions and head injuries related to hitting in football. She solicited opinions from coaches, parents, athletes and medical professionals, reported Patch.
In response to public input, Sente tweaked her original proposal to allow football teams two days of full-contact hitting (tackling) practice during the regular season only, but the House committee felt coaches needed more flexability, reported the Tribune.
Related:
New Rules Approved to Minimize Injury to High School Football Players
Update: Local Coaches Question Law Limiting Football Practice
Brian R
2:02 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
I'm glad this didn't pass. There shouldn't be a bill that restricts how a sport is played or practiced. That's a waste of our government's time. It should have been brought to the IHSA and make it a restriction for the sport, just like restrictions on how many practices a team can have a week and when teams can begin formal practices, etc.
Regardless, restricting tackling won't help. Coaches need to teach kids the proper way to tackle to avoid injury. If we remove tackling from practice, that would increase chances of injury during the game because kids won't know the proper techniques. Sports is all about reactions in a split second. Without practice, you won't know what to do and how to react and open up risk for more injury.
Nick
9:12 am on Friday, March 22, 2013
Brian, I couldn't agree with you more. You're exactly right about how restricting tackling in practice would increase the chances of injury rather than decreasing them. I think it's just such a "hot button topic" that some elected officials have decided they need to make it look like they care about kids safety when they don't really look into it thoroughly...