In 2014, The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) issued recommendations to reduce risks.We developed a metric to measure compliance with the recommendations. There are many opportunities available to better protect high school football players from concussion.

In 2016, most high school state associations still don’t follow basic policies for minimizing concussion risk.HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

STATE ASSOCIATION COMPLIANCE WITHPOLICIES TO REDUCE CONCUSSION RISK

In seasoncontact limits

Pre-season contactlimits

38%comply

24%comply

Limit 2-Way players (those playing offense and defense in a game). High School Football is the only level of play that this occurs and results in a significant amount of additional head impacts per season for these players.

Limit players competing on multiple levels of competition (ie varsity and JV)—limit the number of games/quarters an athlete can play during a season:

Limit the number of scrimmages—which are similar to games in head impacts (frequency and magnitude) but are not counted toward either game or contact practice limitations.

STATE ASSOCIATIONS WERE DIRECTED TO REVIEW POLICIES REGARDING RISK FACTORS THAT INCREASE HEAD IMPACTS

Only 1 statehas developed

a policy toaddress the risk—New Mexico

13 states haveno policies

10 states allow eight or more quarters (2 games) per week.

15 statesallow six to seven quarters per week.

12 states limit athletes to four or five quarters per week.

RISK FACTORS:

7states allow three or more

6states have no policies

24states allowless than two

13states allow two

Compliance points awarded for the following 5 measures:

1. Pre-Season Contact Limits: State complies with 2 out of 3 NFHS recommendations 2. In-Season Contact Limits: State complies with 2 out of 3 NFHS recommendations3. Off-Season Contact Ban: State bans spring and summer contact4. Maximum quarters per athlete limited to 5 quarters or less per week5. Heat Acclimatization: Included because these rules prohibit full contact the first 5 days of pre-season, allowing for conditioning for heat plus time for coaching of technique prior to full contact/ head impacts.

AK

HI

WA

OR

CA

NVUT

AZ

ID

MT ND

WIMI

NY

RICT

VT ME

IL

TN NC

SC

KY

WVIN OH

PANJ

DEMD

NH

AL

FL

GA

VA

AR

LA

MS

SDMN

WY

NE IA

COKS MO

TX

OKNM

AK

WA

OR

CA

NVUT

AZ

ID

MT ND

WIMI

NYCT

ME

IL

TN NC

SC

KY

WVIN OH

PAMD

NH

AL

FL

GA

VA

AR

LA

MS

SDMN

WY

NE IA

COKS MO

TX

OKNM

AK

WA

OR

CA

NVUT

AZ

ID

MT ND

WIMI

NYCT

MA

ME

IL

TN NC

SC

KYWV

IN OHPA

MD

NH

AL

FL

GA

VA

AR

LA

MS

SDMN

WY

NE IA

COKS MO

TX

OKNM

0 1 2 3 4

N U M B E R O F S A F E T Y M E A S U R E S M E T

0 1 2 3 4 5COMPLIANCE WITH POLICIES TO REDUCE CONCUSSION RISK

STATE ASSOCIATION COMPLIANCE WITH POLICIES TO REDUCE CONCUSSION RISK

STATE

ALAKAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY

PRE-SEASON

CONTACT LIMITS

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

IN-SEASONCONTACT

LIMITS

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

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✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

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✔

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✔

✔ ✔

✔ ✔

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✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

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✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

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15 10

11 8

14 10

15 10

15 10

15 10

13 10

13 10

15 10

15 10

16 10

13 9

14 9

15 9

14 9

14 9

15 10

15 10

13 9

14 10

13 8

14 9

15 10

15 10

14 9

14 10

13 8

12 9

13 10

12 9

14 10

13 10

15 10

12 9

13 8

15 10

13 9

14 10

13 10

14 10

12 9

15 10

16 10

14 10

12 9

14 10

14 10

14 10

14 9

13 9

SCRIMMAGES

2

NO LIMIT

1

1

NO LIMIT

1

2

3

1

1

NO LIMIT3

1

NO LIMIT

1

1

0

2

2

2

NO LIMIT

1

2

1

1

1

1

0

2

NO LIMIT

9

1

1

7 HOURS

1

2

2

1

2

3

4

1

4

3

0

2

6Q

1

2

1

1

MAXIMUM QUARTERS

PER ATHLETE(4 QUARTERS =

1 GAME)

7Q/wk1

6Q/wk

6Q/wk2

NO LIMIT

NO LIMIT

6Q/wk

6Q/5 days

5Q/wk

4Q/wk

6Q/wk

4Q/wk

6Q/wk

NO LIMIT

5Q/wk

8Q/wk

8Q/wk

NO LIMIT

NO LIMIT

6Q/wk

NO LIMIT

4Q/wk

4Q/5 days4

6Q/wk

6Q/wk

6Q/wk

8Q/wk

8Q/wk

4Q/wk

NO LIMIT

8Q/9 days

8 F.E./5 days5

NO LIMIT

4Q/wk6

8Q/6 days

6Q/wk

8Q/wk

5Q/wk

NO LIMIT

6Q/wk

4Q/wk

NO LIMIT

8Q/wk

4Q/5 days

NO LIMIT

4Q/wk

4Q/wk

8Q/wk7

NO LIMIT

NO LIMIT

8Q/wk

HEATACCLIMATIZATION

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

OFF-SEASONCONTACT BAN

SPRING SUMMER

MAXIMUM GAMES

PER SEASONTOTAL/

REGULAR

Includes policy mandates/bylaws/rules by high school associations, or legislative action. Excludes recommendations, pilot programs or studies. (AK, CO, DE, MD, MI, MO, SD, UT)SOURCES: State association websites, published reports, private correspondence.1If a student participates on more than one level of competition in the same sport during the same season, the maximum number of contests that the student may participate in is the number of contests his/her highest-level team is permitted to play. The only exception is in football where a student may play a total of 18 regular season games (instead of 10) plus playoff games.2Division IV, V & VI schools, because of their limited enrollment, may permit a player to participate in 50% more matches or games than the regularly scheduled matches or games per season, excluding qualifying and post-season tournaments.3No limit on scrimmages but must abide by contact rules.4One quarter in a JV game counts as a full game, but disqualifies that student from the Varsity game, and vice versa.

5F.E. = “football experience” is one quarter play of either offense or defense. Thus, playing “both ways” in 1 game= 8 “F.E.”6Up to 10 players could play an additional 8 quarters for the entire season. Otherwise, athletes are limited to 1 game per week.750 quarters per athlete during regular season.

DEFINITIONSPre-season Contact Limits: Complies with 2 out of 3 NFHS recommendations:

• Contact Practices limited to 1 per day

• Maximum of 2 consecutive contact practice days

• Any time limits on contact practices

In-season Contact Limits: Complies with 2 out of 3 NFHS recommendations:

• Contact practices limited to 60-90 minutes totalper week

• Contact practices limited to 30 minutes per day

• Maximum number of 2-3 contact practices per week

States that exclude “thud” as full contact do not comply with NFHS definition and therefore do not meet compliance for in-season or pre-season contact (AR, FL, NC, SC, VA, WY).http://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/smac-position-statements-and-guidelines/

Off-season Contact Practice Ban (Summer): Does not include camps

Maximum Quarters per Athlete: For any division. Four quarters equal 1 game. This statistic has been converted from game into quarters when high school associations stipulate games instead of quarters. If defined as total quarters allowed during regular season, weekly average is calculated based on number of regular season games.

Heat Acclimatization: Complies with minimum best practices according to the Korey Stringer Institute. In states that have followed these guidelines, there have been ZERO heat-related deaths in high school athletics. KSI data as of 10/30/16 Source: Korey Stringer Institute http://ksi.uconn.edu/highschool-state-policies/heat-acclimatization-policies/

Maximum Games Per Season: Total number ofpossible games (all divisions) for regular season and championship (includes all regular plus any state/conference playoff games).

Scrimmages: Includes scrimmages and jamborees in pre-season or in-season. Excludes spring scrimmages.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

© Compiled by:Diana Coyne, parentsconcussioncoalition@gmail.com Dorothy Bedford, db@bt9.org, November 2014/Updated November 2016