Governor Newsom has signed a law capping full-contact football practices for teams with kids under 12-years-old. Children will only be allowed to participate in full contact practice for 30-minutes a day, twice a week. The law is aimed at preventing children from developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that is speculated to stem from frequent blows to the head. Currently, there is a similar law in place for children who play football in middle and high school. These children are required to limit full-contact practice to 90 minutes per day, twice a week.
KFI's Kris Ankarlo visited the dual Chargers/Rams practice today where he spoke with parents about their thoughts on the new law. One father said that kids are physical every day, whether they play football or not.
"I understand why it'd be a safety issue, but then on the same hand you have to understand that at some point they are going to be playing the game. So they have to make sure that they're tackling correctly."
Another father, however, said that Newsom's new law goes too far.
"I don't have a problem with my son playing football at all. I think it'd be good for him. It makes him tougher."
Some parents believe that this is the way sports have always been played and should continue as is. "I just think the law is misplaced. I think football - physical sports in general has been a part of human nature for thousands of years."
The new law will also require all games to have a medical professional present as well as another independent individual tasked with monitoring/removing players who show signs of injury.