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NFL Veterans Endorse i9 Sports Flag Football

TAMPA, FL - Tackle versus flag. It’s a youth football turf battle raging across the U.S. that has some NFL veterans warning parents against allowing their children to play full-contact football too soon.

The reason: concussions. Football leads all sports in the occurrence of concussions among children and youth ages 5-18. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, emergency room visits for concussions sustained in organized team sports doubled among kids ages 8-13 between 1997 and 2007.

Approximately 3.5 million American children 6-14 play tackle football, even though it is, as described in a 2009 article in Pediatric Radiology, “the most hazardous organized sport in the U.S.”

Concussions, particularly among children whose brains are still developing, present a serious risk of brain injury and the possibility of long-term or permanent damage.

Brad Culpepper, former NFL defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, says flag football is the answer:

“I played tackle football for 18 years, including nine in the NFL. No one loves football more than me, but there are two arguments I would make for flag football versus full-contact football for kids. One is safety - in particular, the risk of concussions - and the other is skill development.

Kids are just not physically developed enough to absorb helmet-to-helmet contact without serious risk of concussion, and the possibility of nerve or brain damage is very real. In the area of skill development, flag football is more about throwing, catching and agility and less about pounding bodies around.

The notion that kids need to be involved in tackle football at a young age in order to develop as players is completely wrong. That may be true in basketball or baseball, but not football. I didn’t play full-contact football until high school.

My kids play flag football because the risk of head injury is dramatically reduced and, in my opinion, skills develop much more quickly. The five-on-five format in the i9 Sports leagues where my kids play and I’ve coached, allows kids to play all positions, get more personal attention from coaches and just have more fun. Not only do parents recognize the benefits, the kids love it.”

i9 Sports, the leading youth sports franchise organization in the U.S., is so committed to concussion prevention and awareness, that it offers flag football only. i9 has also instituted policies that apply to all the sports it offers, including flag football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and softball, specifically designed to reduce the risk of concussion and raise concussion awareness among players, parents, coaches and officials:

• i9 Sports offers flag football - NO TACKLE. Current and former NFL coaches and players, including Brad Culpepper, Jon Gruden and Jack Del Rio have/had their children playing i9 Sports because of the increased risk of concussions.
• In soccer, i9 Sports has a Strict No-Heading Policy. Players 3-12 years old don’t have the developmental skills to head the ball properly on the forehead and instead may incorrectly head the ball on the top of the head or on the temple, causing greater risk for concussion.
• “When in Doubt, Sit Out” — An athlete in i9 Sports who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury is removed from the practice or game immediately and not allowed to return to play without written clearance from a licensed health care provider.
• i9 Sports is the first youth sports organization to institute a Parental Pledge for safety and good sportsmanship. Plus, after each game, one child earns a sportsmanship award for sportsmanship and fair play with teammates and opponents.
• i9 Sports has just added a Concussions Safety Information page to the online registration process that parents must read and sign. i9 Sports has also provided concussion information, signs and symptoms in all coach and officials guides.

FAST FACTS ON CONCUSSIONS:

• A recent study from the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine calls for all teen athletes to be tested for concussions as a baseline analysis before the sports season so they’re accurately diagnosed if they suffer a concussion during the season.
• From 2001 to 2005, more than 502,000 emergency visits were due to concussions in children between the ages of 8 and 19 years. Approximately half of these visits were a result of concussions related to organized sports.** (latest stats available)
• An estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the U.S. each year.**
  Of the 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries sustained by children and adults in the U.S. each year, at least 75% are mild and/or concussions.***
• Among children and youth ages 5-18 years, the five leading sports or recreational activities which account for concussions include football, bicycling, basketball, playground activities and soccer.***
• From 1997 to 2007, emergency department visits for concussions occurring in organized team sports doubled (from 3,946 to 7,791) in children ages 8-13 and more than tripled (from 7,276 to 23,239) among youth ages 14-19.* (latest stats available)

* Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
** Safe Kids Coalition
*** Brain Injury Association of America