In Ohio, we are one of the last states to pass legislation protecting the young athlete from the abuses that can occur from negligent or ignorant coaches in regards to managing TBIs. It makes no difference if the coach is a high school varsity coach or the volunteer parent in a recreational league, the injury does not discern the difference. In fact, much of the current data is showing that the younger an athlete is, the higher the risk is of chronic issues. The legislature needs to stand firm in this fight and continue to push this bill forward. The stance that the Ohio
YMCA has taken again the provision that an athlete must be removed from competition for showing signs of a TBI is standard practice in most other states that have already passed similar legislation. This argument needs to be disregarded as it is laughable. If the requirement about removing the injured athlete is removed from the bill, then there is NO recourse against a coach that chooses to not follow the law. Unfortunately, I have seen this exact level of irresponsibility in youth football in this past season. A coach was ready to lynch an official for trying to remove an athlete during "a big game" despite the symptoms that the young man was exhibiting. Yes YMCA, it does still happen because their are volunteer parents out there that still don't get it.
7/11/2012 - Addendum to this post.
In May, the YMCA was able to work with state legislatures and come to a compromise that they were willing to accept. The bill has moved on and passed the state house and is now sitting before the state senate. The senate is expected to vote and pass this bill quickly when they reconvene after the elections in November.
No comments :
Post a Comment