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Maryland may bar kids’ tackle football on public fields
//February 7, 2018
ANNAPOLIS — A bill proposed to the Maryland General Assembly would bar children from participating in tackle football and other contact sports on publicly funded fields until high school.
Sen. William C. Smith Jr., D-Montgomery County, who filed the bill, tells the Baltimore Sun it’s not meant to undermine football. He says it’s meant to show the state doesn’t want to enable an activity that’s developmentally detrimental.
Supporter Del. Terri Hill, D-Howard County, said Tuesday legislators want to tackle public health issues surrounding possible developmental problems caused by contact sports. She says kids don’t always report or recognize head injuries.
Former University of Maryland and NFL player Madieu Williams is also working on the bill.
This bill would add Maryland to a growing list of states attempting to address sport-related head injuries.
