February 6th, 2018 by WCBC Radio
Proposed legislation in the Maryland General Assembly would prohibit children from playing tackle football on public fields until they reach high school, a move one of its sponsors says would improve public health.
The measure would prohibit football and other contact sports for elementary and middle-school kids if they are played on public fields or facilities maintained with public funds.
“This is about a vulnerable population and developing brains,” said Del. Terri Hill, a physician and Democrat from Howard County, on Tuesday. “It’s a public health issue.”
Hill said that younger children can’t always recognize or report the symptoms of head injuries and that scientific research shows it’s not just concussions that cause long term damage. She said the accumulated damage from lesser hits – “sub-concussive” ones – can also cause damage later in life.
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