Football Coaches Association Wants Reduced Contact

The Washington State Football Coaches Association is proposing schools reduce the number of days it has football players have direct contact on the field during spring and summer camps. According to the proposal, “over the past two years there has been a stronger call for increased safety, concussion related concerns, and stricter guidelines to protect the integrity of the game at all levels.

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works, according to the Center for Disease Control. Concussions can also occur from a fall or a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth.

“I'm a firm believer in the proposal, it's been long overdue, say Lindbergh head football coach Pat O’Grady. “The new proposal will not affect us much; we have always operated within the proposed guidelines, so it will be business as usual for us.

O’Grady admits he knows there are programs out there that have an unbelievable number of contact days, multiple spring scrimmages, and multiple full-contact team camps. 

These spring/summer regulations will mirror the fall rules due to concerns of liability.

Three days of helmets only - First three days of spring practice

Days of contact -- 12

If teams choose to scrimmage another opponent or go to a team camp, each player participating must have completed:

-- Ten days of practice in which the first three days are helmet only and followed by seven days of contact; this allows for an additional five contact days for practice, scrimmage, and/or a team camp.

-- Five days of Organized Team Activities (OTA) to be used, at coaches' discretion, anytime after the first 3 days of helmets only practices and before July 31st. Helmets are the only protective gear allowed. Examples are 7 on 7.

This allows 20 total days with any player that will be in the high school program (incoming 9th-seniors). Weight room, conditioning, and youth camps (up to incoming 8th graders) are excluded from the 20 day rule.

Head football coaches are required to give their summer schedule to their Athletic Director to ensure the practices, scrimmages, team camp and 7 on 7 follows the above guidelines.

Brian Kaelin Renton School District’s Director of Athletics says the school district has guidelines already in place. The school district allows only 13 practices from the end of the WIAA spring sports season until the last day of school AND the first three of these practices must be without pads (so no contact).  Non-padded practices and jamborees/scrimmage days count toward the 13 practice limit. It’s a delicate balance because contact is required for some skills to be taught. 

“I would tend to side with the coaches in that I don’t feel as if players need to be hitting every day from June 1st until the end of August,” said Kaelin. “I believe that there should be some limit to the amount of days/practices that contact can occur.  I also strongly feel that there should be no pads/contact the first 3 days of practice, regardless of the time of year.” 

“The WIAA mandates this for the WIAA football season, but doesn’t currently mandate it for the summer.  The Renton School District took the initiative and mandated this,” said Kaelin. “This is a very complex issue with many factors to consider.  We will continue to discuss this at the various levels in an attempt to ultimately do what is best for our student-athletes.”

In 2009 the Washington State Legislature passed the Zackery Lystedt Law, which requires policies for the management of concussion and head injury in youth sports. Zackery Lystedt, was just 13 when his head struck the ground after tackling an opponent.

A video of the game shows Lystedt lying on the ground with his hands clutching both sides of his helmet. He was sidelined for just three plays before half-time. Despite the blow, Lystedt shook it off and by the start of the 3rd quarter he was back in the game. After a hard-played second half, Lystedt collapsed on the field and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

A long road of recovery, but last year Lystedt step out of his wheelchair and walked with the assistance of a cane across the stage to collect his diploma from Tahoma High School.

The CDC offers toolkits for youth and high school coaches and parents. Additional information on the concessions and sports is available at the CDC.