Safety First!

As we get closer to football season parents face the question...Do you let your kids play?

Recently more than 2,000 former player are suing the NFL alleging they were not warned about long term risk of concussions. Personally I don't remember anyone informing me of the long term risk of concussion during my days of playing the physical game of football.

Many are addressing the issue, from current and former players to youth and high school coaches to parents who sign or don't sign permission for their kids to put on helmets.

About 135,000 children between the ages of 5 to 18 are treated in emergency rooms each year for sports or recreation related concussions and other head injuries. A case can be made that their should be a mandated age to wear no equipment is issues nor contact is allowed...only flag football until a certain age. "This concussion thing is frightening for little kids," commented a parent who's sons have played youth league football. I believe we need to protect children and all who play this physical sometimes brutal game of football."

Parents it up to you to decide what is safe and what is not safe for your children. During my days of playing football on all levels it was called "getting your bell rung" or "seeing stars. We can no longer accept this mentality from coaches on any level. Safety is "top priority". Today the equipment used for protection has become almost space age with the extra padding and protective shell. The mouth guard has gone high tech with its shock resistant properties. The debate will continue regarding the rules regarding the safety in football, but one thing you can bet on is that you will continue to see big hits from youth leagues to the Pros.

In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt stated "I believe in outdoor games, and I do not mind in the least that they are rough games, or that those who take part in them are occasionally injured, but the brutality of playing a game should awaken the heartiest and most plainly shown contempt for the player guilty of it." Roosevelt's involvement helped lead to the formation of the International Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the NCAA.

As football has faced a new crisis with head injuries and their effect I say to all who participate at any level..."PLAY SMART AND PROTECT YOURSELF".