Ivy League football coaches have agreed to ban tackling during practice
By JOHN DORN
Awareness surrounding head injuries and brain trauma in football has never been greater, and several important people are taking action -- not only doctors and medical officials, but now coaches as well.
In possibly the most important step in the direction of safety to date, Ivy League football coaches have voted to ban all contact in practices beginning this season, the New York Times is reporting.
Diminishing contact in non-game scenarios should help reduce the risk of long-term health issues, that experts say are cause my repetitive blows to the head over an extended period of time.
From the Times report:
Research has shown that limiting the amount of full-contact practices can reduce the number of concussions. In the N.F.L., for instance, concussions during practices in the preseason and regular season have declined since 2012, the year after limits on the number of full-contact practices were put in place.
The NFL has worked to greatly reduce full-contact practices over recent years. Each team is currently limited to 14 contact practices over the 18-week season. Several teams don't even use all of them, the Times says.
The extreme move by the conference could help sway the opinions of high school and youth leagues. Limiting the amount of contact throughout the duration of a football player's career seems to be key in maintaining long-term health, and this seems to be a major move in that direction.
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