Daily Madden: It's Time To Ban Head Shots In Youth Soccer
(KCBS) - A group called Parents and Pros for Safer Soccer is advocating a ban on head shots for youth under 14.
"The brain is not fully developed and you're hitting the ball with the head? That's stupid," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. "That's as stupid as putting a (football) helmet on an eight or nine year old kid. You don't do that and hit with your head."
Madden has long said kids under 14 shouldn't be playing tackle football.
"Sometimes you just wonder why it takes that long for someone to figure out," Madden said. "It's easy to say 'well, that's the way they play football and that's the way they play soccer.' That's the way they play football and that's the way they play soccer when they're adults with adult bodies and adult brains. And that doesn't always work out. So (it's wrong) to say the same thing for kids (when) their brain isn't developed, their neck isn't developed. The whole head is not ready for those kinds of things." (6:50)
Daily Madden
(Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.)
