NJ to limit contact in practices to reduce CTE | The Boneyard

NJ to limit contact in practices to reduce CTE

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Article from the Courant. Interesting stats on how many P5 schools have diagnosed cases of CTE. This issue is going to keep gaining attention and demands for action.

New Jersey is trying to make the game of football a safer sport.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association announced new guidelines that would drastically reduce the amount of contact in high school football practices.

Going forward, teams can only engage in full-contact drills in practice during the season for 15 minutes a week, opposed to the old model in which up to 90 minutes was allowed. Preseason full-contact drills will also be limited to six hours per week, opposed to that time being unlimited in the past.

The new guidelines were recommended by the New Jersey Football Coaches Association and Practice Like Pros and will take effect in summer 2019 if approved by the NJSIAA’s executive committee.

A New York Times report showed that New Jersey has seen a big drop in the number of high school football participation. The Garden State saw a 6.8 percent decrease in 2017 as 1,700 fewer players were playing HS ball.

High school football participation continues downward trend in Connecticut amid concern over head injuries, other factors »

In November, the Concussion Legacy Foundation proved that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) doesn’t just affect those in the NFL, as their report revealed that up to 147 colleges have former football players with CTE, with 26 of those schools have at least three former players that have been diagnosed.

Of those 26, at least nine of them are ranked in the Top 25 this past season, including powerhouses like Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Penn State. The University of Georgia leads the way with nine former players diagnosed.

“There are so many fans of the NFL, and that is where the discussion is focused. But, we know that this is a problem for football players on every level,” said Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and a former Harvard football player to the Daily News. “This is a way to draw attention to that. This isn’t a problem for a couple thousand millionaires, this is a problem for people who are not getting paid to play football. And people who are sometimes under the age of consent who are being diagnosed.”

Some high school football teams in Connecticut are cutting back on contact in practice to limit injuries »

The research from CLF’s report came from the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, which is a collaboration between the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University. And according to the data, all of the Power 5 conferences have at least one school represented among the 26 that have three or more confirmed cases of CTE. All 14 schools in the Big Ten have at least one case of CTE, along with 12 of the 14 schools in the SEC. Of the 26 programs that have three or more cases, they have combined to win 83 national championships.

A previous study from 2018 also found that 190 of 202 football players (94%) studied who played in college or the NFL have been diagnosed with CTE. And among players who only played football in college, CTE was diagnosed in 86% of them.

In January, a ruling came down that made it harder for former NFL players with dementia claims to get their money under the terms of the NFL’s concussion settlement, as a federal judge enforced a stricter diagnostic criteria to be used by doctors to determine who is eligible to receive money.
 
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I don't see how football looks anything like it currently does 10-15 years from now. The fall-off in participation is just too significant and I don't know how you address the continued liability.

Wonder how the folks in the SEC will take to rugby?
 

BlueandOG

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There was an interesting bit about this on Real Sports with Bryant Gumble. Football is turning into a sport played by poor people, often of color, and watched by wealthy people, often white. It is difficult - I love football and played myself (not well), but I am glad my two sons do not play. If they wanted to play, I'm not sure how my wife and I would have responded.
 

ConnHuskBask

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I saw the Rickey Dixon outside the lines the other day (former Oklahoma Sooner and Cincinnati Bengal) as he is currently suffering from ALS. Was pretty brutal to watch as he almost has no control of his body anymore due to the disease which is found with greater frequency in post concussion sufferers.

It's probably the smart move but I think at some point the game must change fundamentally so people don't end up having the same fate as Dixon .
 
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More hysteria backed by fake science. Yes, CTE exists. And, yes, a very small few who have had concussions get it.
 

Uconnalliance

Please cancel the program all hope is lost
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Just a part of the psychotic liberal world we live in
 

Exit 4

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There was an interesting bit about this on Real Sports with Bryant Gumble. Football is turning into a sport played by poor people, often of color, and watched by wealthy people, often white. It is difficult - I love football and played myself (not well), but I am glad my two sons do not play. If they wanted to play, I'm not sure how my wife and I would have responded.
Isn’t this the case with boxing? Bottomline no one has to play, nor does anyone have to watch.
 
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I saw the Rickey Dixon outside the lines the other day (former Oklahoma Sooner and Cincinnati Bengal) as he is currently suffering from ALS. Was pretty brutal to watch as he almost has no control of his body anymore due to the disease which is found with greater frequency in post concussion sufferers.

It's probably the smart move but I think at some point the game must change fundamentally so people don't end up having the same fate as Dixon .

I know people who have had concussions from football(me), girls softball, skiing, soccer, and basketball(hitting head on floor). I can see getting rid of Junction Boys practices but not everyone gets ALS. It is smart to be cautious with the contact over a season.
 
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There’s not a lot of contact in practice at the high school level any longer. I was recently at a large states coaching convention and almost universally guys are saying i dont need my guys to hit each other.

We hear - For kids that don’t like to hit, more hitting won’t make them like it and for kids that like to hit we dont have to worry about them hitting on friday nightsso we dont need to beat on them during the week. So theres a lot if bag and donut. hitting drills - many states have beaten NJ to the punch and have legislated how many days a week you can hit.
 
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New Jersey produced one consensus 5* and seven 4* players in the 2019 class. I think with this rule change it may be difficult for any Jersey high school kid to ring up much better than a 3* in a couple years. That doesn't mean NJ kids won't be coached up, just like CT and NY kids are now.
 

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