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E&C Democrats Question Safety of Youth Tackle Football

October 17, 2017

“The experts were clear: tackle football, particularly at young ages, poses significant safety concerns.”

Following last week's forum on sports-related brain trauma, Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic leaders sent a letter to USA Football today requesting an update on the organization's efforts to improve the safety of youth football programs and its process for evaluating player safety. The letter was signed by Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO), and Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

"The experts were clear: tackle football, particularly at young ages, poses significant safety concerns," the four Committee leaders wrote in their letter to USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck.

Today, USA Football promotes a youth tackle football program and a flag football program for younger children. In 2015, USA Football began developing a modified version of tackle football specifically for younger kids that is called "rookie tackle," which uses smaller teams and playing fields and has rules which it claims reduce player contact.

"USA Football asserts that the development of rookie tackle ‘relied heavily on research and advice from medical and youth football experts.' However, USA Football's selection and use of experts to study the effectiveness of its programs has previously come into question," the four lawmakers continued in their letter. "We are writing to request an update on USA Football's efforts to improve the safety of youth football and its process for evaluating player safety."

Last year, the Committee Democrats sent a letter to USA Football raising concerns after reports that the organization used misleading statistics to promote the safety and effectiveness of its Heads Up Football player safety program. In a September 13, 2016 response, USA Football described its intention to improve efforts to ensure the accuracy of future studies it endorses, and committed to working with the Committee to improve player safety. Today's letter seeks to understand how rookie tackle aligns with that commitment.

As part of their request, the Democrats are seeking answers to a series of questions including:

  • Is there an age at which USA Football believes tackle football and rookie tackle are inappropriate?
  • What research and methods are USA Football employing to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the rookie tackle program?
  • USA Football has mentioned efforts to ensure the accuracy of scientific studies it endorses, what is the current status of these efforts?
  • USA Football states that the rules of rookie tackle are not yet finalized and that there are no plans for a wide rollout of the game. Does USA Football have a timeline for a wider rollout of the rookie tackle football?

A copy of the letter is available here.

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