The NFL and NCAA are urging state lawmakers to support legislation that will help prevent and treat concussions among youth athletes.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NCAA president Mark Emmert are asking states to join the state of Washington, which passed the Zackery Lystedt law in 2009. The law is named for a star youth football player who suffered life-threatening injuries after he was allowed back on the field following a concussion.
Goodell and Emmert hope legislation will be passed throughout the country and that it will contain three key elements of the Lystedt law — athletes, parents and coaches must be educated about the dangers of concussions every year, young athletes suspected of having a concussion must be removed from a game or practice and not be permitted to return to play, and a licensed health care professional must clear the young athlete before the athlete returns to play.
"We are pleased that President Emmert and the NCAA will support our campaign and add visibility to this issue not only with football but also with the other 22 NCAA sports for the benefit of young athletes and their families," Goodell said.
As many as 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The NFL is cracking down on concussions and violent hits, distributing posters throughout locker rooms with information about concussions last season. Players who suffered concussions needed clearance from an independent physician to return to the field.
Victoria Beckham Missy Peregrym Sarah Gellman Eliza Dushku Bonnie Jill Laflin
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