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High school football is one of the most popular sports in the country with over one million players annually. Participation in the sport has declined over the past couple of years due to the amount of concussions football produces. States across the US are trying to figure out how to make football safer for its participants.
New Jersey has come up with its own solution as the state released a new set of guidelines on high school football practices, according to New York Times. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association lowered the full contact level at practice to only 15 minutes a week, down from 90 minutes. The drastic change in full-contact drills was to promote player safety.
Preseason drills were affected as well as team are only allowed six total hours, including scrimmages. Currently, New Jersey has the strictest rules on player safety, but other states are considering adopting New Jersey’s new rules. The state believed the changes were necessary after seeing 1,700 fewer players turn up for football this past season.
Colorado, Montana and Oklahoma were the only three states that experienced a bigger percentage drop in participation than New Jersey. The Garden State has been a hotbed for major schools across the country as Jabrill Peppers, Rashan Gary, Jonathan Taylor and recent Alabama signee Antonio Alfano played their high school football in New Jersey. While all three of those players played under the old rules, so the new group of talented players from New Jersey will have to adjust to the new rules.
The drop in full-contact drills during the season emphasizes player safety, but the lack of contact during practice could hurt the players in the long run. Only having 15 minutes of full contact a week is not enough to prepare kids for a physical game. The safety of the players is important, but the new safety rules that New Jersey has passed makes it hard for players to get accustomed to contact during the game.