Tom Brady didn't play tackle football as a kid. Neither should your child.
Youth tackle won’t increase the odds of going pro, but it will expose athletes to years of repetitive impacts, increasing risks of brain damage.
Michael Strahan, Jerome Bettis, Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, and Tom Brady all have something in common. It’s not their Super Bowl wins or NFL legend status. It’s that none of these athletes played tackle football before high school.
In fact, Michael Strahan didn’t start tackling until 12th grade. These are just a few of the names on the list of NFL stars who waited until high school to tackle, a list that also includes legends like Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.
Yet, this fall, more than 1 million youth players will suit up for tackle football, risking brain trauma that can have lasting consequences.
Brain trauma in youth sports
I have studied concussions and repetitive brain trauma in sports for a decade, and over that time growing evidence has raised concerns about safety in youth sports.