The discovery that a gunman who killed four people in July had chronic traumatic encephalopathy has reignited debate across the country about the risks of high school football.
Many parents are struggling to balance tradition and safety, The New York Times reported.
On a warm Friday evening in Allen, Texas, Stephanie Richards stood outside the $60 million stadium before Allen High School faced McKinney High. A lifelong Texan, Richards said she loves the spirit of Friday night lights.
But when her sixth-grade son asked about playing football, she and her husband decided to wait until high school, citing concerns about brain injuries.
“Do I think it’s a concern for him? No,” Richards told the Times. “But I think as a parent, you’re always concerned about your kid.”
That balance of pride and worry sharpened after researchers confirmed that 27-year-old Shane Tamura, who killed four people in Midtown Manhattan before taking his own life, had CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head impacts. Tamura had played football only through high school.
Experts caution that the disease can be diagnosed only after death and stress that it is unclear whether CTE directly influenced Tamura’s actions. Symptoms include mood swings, aggression, impaired judgment, and dementia.
Still, the diagnosis stirred renewed questions among parents nationwide.
Cleveland Baker, 54, of Brown Deer, Wisconsin, said his family’s perspective changed after his older son suffered two concussions in high school.
“Between my wife and I, we probably would have said no” if a third occurred, Baker told the Times.
His younger son now plays linebacker, but Baker said the experience is “scary.”
More than a decade of studies have found links between CTE and athletes who started tackle football before age 12, with risks rising the longer they played. Those findings, along with the deaths of hundreds of NFL players diagnosed with CTE, contributed to declining youth football participation between 2015 and 2020.
Participation has since rebounded as leagues have adopted safer tackling techniques, stricter concussion protocols, and improved equipment.
Flag football has been promoted as an alternative to traditional football. But many parents remain cautious.
“These head injuries don’t start at the NFL — they start in pee wee leagues, then middle school, high school, college,” said Johnny Nuno of Allen, Texas.
He and his wife allowed their 13-year-old son to play a season but pushed him toward basketball and theater afterward.
Others have made firmer choices. Robert Mosley, 55, a graduate of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in New Jersey, said he did not allow his son to play.
“God forbid he got brain damage or anything like that,” Mosley said.
Despite the fears, many still see football as an enduring part of American culture.
Joseph Williams, 50, of Greenville, Mississippi, said: “The way I am thinking about this is, football is a contact sport. So you have to expect there are risks to playing.”
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