PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, USA, October 28, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New York brain injury lawyer, Michael V. Kaplen, is to urge lawmakers to adopt assembly bill A02692, which would prohibit tackling in youth football in the state.

Kaplen, who is a senior partner in New York firm De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, and serves as Chair of the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council, will address the New York State Assembly, Health Committee’s public hearing on Tuesday.

In his statement Kaplen will say that permitting children to engage in tackle football is “equivalent to allowing them to play Russian roulette.”

Kaplen, who has been a vocal advocate of prohibitions on youth tackle football, and maintains a page tracking tackle football legislation on his firm’s website brainlaw.com, will also state that, “Repetitive head trauma in football poses a significant danger. Children who engage in tackle football have a greater risk of sustaining a life-altering brain injury. It is long overdue for us to protect our children’s brains and prevent needless and preventable injuries.”

The hearing is expected to include contributions from medical experts, representatives from youth football organizations, and former NFL players.

And Kaplen will argue that the medical evidence clearly shows that a ban is necessary, “There is only one conclusion to be reached; ‘football is a concussion delivery system’. The Centers for Disease Control repeatedly confirm, ‘a concussion is a brain injury.’”

If adopted, Assemblyman Benedetto’s bill, titled “An act to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting children twelve years old and younger from playing tackle Football” would prohibit the playing of organized tackle football for children age twelve and younger in New York State.

The public hearing will take place at 10am Tuesday in New York City.

Michael V. Kaplen
De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
(914) 747 4410
email us here

The Concussion Delivery System: Why it's time to limit tackling in youth football