Source: NJ.com
New Jersey children under the age of 12 would be banned from playing tackle football if a new proposal in the state Legislature becomes law.
Veteran state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle has introduced a bill that would prohibit children from participating in organized tackle football amid a growing concern about the sport's safety.
The measure (A3760) would also block school districts from allowing students under 12 from playing tackle football during interscholastic athletics, intramural athletics, physical education programs, or any athletic activity.
It would not keep kids from playing flag or touch football.
But the plan could be thrown for a loss by top lawmakers. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday that he's staunchly against the bill.
"That's not happening," said Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who decides which measures get voted on in the upper house. "They're teaching kids how to tackle properly. All you're gonna do is get kids starting later, when it's easier to teach kids early."
Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, said studies show kids who play tackle football at that age have a greater risk of neurological impairment than those who start playing at or after 12.
Read the entire article at NJ.com.
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