N.J. athletic association vows to review policies on safety

September 30, 2015 / FootballSports Medicine
The death of a high school football player in New Jersey has prompted the state’s athletic association to review its policies on student-athlete safety.

Football fieldPrep football players in Oklahoma, New Jersey and Louisiana died this month after suffering on-field injuries. The latest comes from Warren Hills Regional High School (New Jersey), where quarterback Evan Murray died after suffering a lacerated spleen during the game.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has now indicated that its medical advisory and football committees would gather information to determine what steps can be taken to protect athletes moving forward. State and national organizations have implemented numerous measures to protect athletes from head injuries, but there’s growing concern that football may need safeguards in others areas.

From PIX 11 in New York:

In 2008, 15-year-old Taylor Haugen of Niceville, Florida, got hurt in a high school football game. He stumbled off the field and later died from a traumatic liver injury.

“We just don’t want anyone to have to go through that,” said Brian Haugen, Taylor’s dad.

Brian and Kathy Haugen have since founded the only non-profit in the country that works to raise awareness about the perils of contact sport abdominal injuries. The Haugens said they do not want to stop students from playing contact sports, but educate them.

“There are already many professional and college players who are wearing new high-tech equipment that is often unknown to secondary school athletes, and especially of course their parents and coaches. We believe that if word got out about this new high tech equipment, parents would want it on their child,” said Brian.

No other details were provided by the state athletic association regarding what aspects of its policies would be reviewed or what could be done. It’s safe to assume no new measures would be put in place until 2016 at the earliest.


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