A timeout for football bill
Hearing canceled on plan to forbid tackle sport for kids under 12.
SACRAMENTO — Faced with a lobbying blitz by youth football fans, state lawmakers have sidelined a proposal that would have made California the f irst state to prohibit minors from playing organized tackle football before age 12, representatives said Friday.
The measure had been proposed after consultation with medical professionals who believe limiting tackle football would help prevent young athletes from sustaining long- term brain damage caused by repetitive tackling, hitting and blocking.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarty ( D- Sacramento) conf irmed Friday that he had canceled a committee hearing scheduled for next week on the Safe Youth Football Act, signaling his decision that AB 2108 will not advance to a vote this year.
“We’re taking a timeout,” McCarty said Friday.
Multiple studies are expected in the coming months on the health effects of football on the brains of children and they could inform a future debate, said Terry Schanz, the assemblyman’s chief of staff.
“It’s an important issue that he is going to continue to look at,” Schanz said.
The bill, which originally would have banned tackle football for minors before high school, was amended but still faced a lack of support in the Legislature after youth football backers launched a social media drive under the banner of a new Save California Football Coalition. They collected more than 45,000 signatures opposing the legislation.
Pop Warner spokesman Brian Heffron said the decision to shelve the bill “is welcome news for the 100,000 kids who play youth football in California. We’re grateful to those in the Assembly who recognize that tackle football has never been safer, thanks to our many rule changes, improved coaching education and commitment to player safety.”
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher ( D- San Diego), a coauthor of the measure, said the bill may not get a vote this year but the issue is not going away.
“I’m going to continue to talk about the dangers of youth tackle football whether there’s a bill or not,” she said. “I’m confident that one day in California, kids under 12 will be playing only f lag football.”
Supporters of the bill had cited studies that show chronic traumatic encephalopathy is caused by repeti- tive impacts to the head sustained over a period of time. Gonzalez Fletcher said children who play contact sports during crucial years of brain development are at a significantly greater risk for neurological impairments and CTE later in life.
However, Pop Warner off icials said they have taken steps to make the sport safer for kids, including “a series of dramatic rule changes and safety protocols” implemented since 2010 with guidance from neurologists, sports medicine professionals and medical researchers.