SAN DIEGO — Update: After the publication of this story, CBS 8 learned Assembly Bill 734 will not be moving forward.
Original: A proposed law that would ban youth tackle football for kids under 12 is moving through the state capitol but the governor warns he could veto it.
Wednesday, Pop Warner parents and coaches protested AB 734 in Sacramento.
Some San Diego Pop Warner coaches and parents say they too are throwing the flag on the ban.
“Ultimately we just ask they respect the rights of the families and the athletes to make this decision for themselves,” said Gary Harrison, Scripps Ranch Pop Warner President.
Assembly Bill 734
The proposed law would ban kids under six from playing tackle football starting in 2025. In 2027, kids ten and under would be prohibited and by 2029 children under the age of 12 would not be able to play tackle football.
“These teams are second family to these kids. But it's also kind of a second home,” said Amy Ryan, Scripps Ranch Pop Warner mom.
Sacramento Assemblymember Kevin McCarty authored the bill that passed out of the Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism Committee last week. It must pass the House by the end of January to send it to the senate for a vote. He tried to pass a similar law in 2018 but it failed.
“I love football,” said McCarty. “A five, six, eight, eleven-year-old should not be experiencing hundreds of subconcussive hits to the head on annual basis when there is an alternative.”
In 2021 the CDC published a report that found youth football athletes ages 6-14 sustained 15 times more head impacts than flag football athletes.
Parents of professional players who suffered chronic brain injuries testified in support of the ban.
“Football must be played in a manner that enriches and not destroys the brains and lives of our children and that means flag football CTE risk increases by 30 percent per year for tackle football players,” said D. Pulane Lucas, PhD., mother of the late Stanley Wilson who suffered from CTE.
He played for Stanford and the NFL and died in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s custody.
But the bill may not make it far. Governor Newsom says he would not support an outright ban.
His press office sent a statement to CBS 8:
I will not sign legislation that bans youth tackle football. I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of our young athletes, but an outright ban is not the answer. My Administration will work with the Legislature and the bill’s author to strengthen safety in youth football — while ensuring parents have the freedom to decide which sports are most appropriate for their children.
As part of that process, we will consult with health and sports medicine experts, coaches, parents, and community members to ensure California maintains the highest standards in the country for youth football safety. We owe that to the legions of families in California who have embraced youth sports.
California remains committed to building on the California Youth Football Act, which I signed in 2019, establishing advanced safety standards for youth football. This law provides a comprehensive safety framework for young athletes, including equipment standards and restrictions on exposure to full-contact tackles.
“The sport has never been safer than it is today,” said Harrison. “Every coach that coaches tackle football at this age is certified. There's new procedures and techniques we teach to make football safer, take the head contact out of it.”
In 2019, Newsom signed the California Youth Football Act that went into effect in 2021. It has some of the strictest rules for youth football including limiting the amount of contact during practice.
Harrison says they have not experienced significant injuries in their program.
“We haven't. At the at this age of football. The kids aren't as big and fast and strong. So, its relatively a safe sport, when it's taught the right way,” said Harrison.
Another Scripps Ranch Pop Warner mom admits she was nervous for her ten-year-old to start tackle football but says it's about trusting the coaches, the parents, and the kids to decide.
“I think if the kids feel safe and the parents feel like their kids are going to be safe, I think, it should be left to the parents’ decision,” said Sandra Atkinson, Scripps Ranch Pop Warner mom.
If AB 734 passes this would be the first type of ban in the nation.
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