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Assemblyman Walter Mosley called it a “road to Damascus” moment: Raised on football, he’s now backing legislation that would ban tackling in organized youth football by those younger than 14.
The bill was first proposed four years ago by Mosley’s fellow Democrat Michael Benedetto. On Tuesday, both lawmakers took advantage of the approach of this weekend’s Super Bowl to discuss the issue.
Referring to the new science regarding the devastating effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the growing public debate on football’s physical costs, Mosley said, “We have a chronic and pervasive problem throughout our country and here in New York state.”
The Brooklyn lawmaker called the game “my first love,” which he played from age 7 to 16. As an adult, he coached children as young as 8. His own son is 10. “He does not like football, and I’m kind of blessed in that way,” he said, “because I don’t have to convince him not to play football.”
Mosley called the game “a collision sport. … It’s not a contact sport.”
Though the bill lacks a Senate sponsor, Benedetto believes the steady increase in the volume of research and public attention could move the needle. He cited the large body of evidence Makrobet that shows the physiology of children and adolescents makes them especially vulnerable to the sort of damage that results from repeated head injuries — concussions as well as “sub-concussive” impacts.
Benedetto, a former teacher, described a colleague from the Bronx whose son enjoyed a successful youth football career, but arrived in college with signs of grievous neurological damage. After two months, the young man dropped out. Since then, he has had behavioral problems that have resulted in arrest and hospitalization, Benedetto said.
Benedetto — who also backs a bill that would ban heading in soccer for those younger than 14 — called football “wonderful” and “a great team sport,” but not for children or young adolescents.
He rejected the idea that his measure promotes “the mommyfication and the wussiness” critics of such measures see creeping through American culture. He believes the bill could help save the game by alleviating parents’ fears.
The lawmaker recalled a few years ago being disinvited from his local youth league football banquet. He later learned that each place setting had featured a printout of a recent article on his proposed legislation.
“I have received a lot of hits on this,” Benedetto said in what didn’t appear to be a pun.
cseiler@timesunion.com • 518-454-5619 • @CaseySeiler
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