California’s far-left Democrat governor has openly pledged to veto any bill that would ban tackle football for children, just as the latest bill to do just that is being debated in the state’s general assembly.
Despite failing several times in the past, this year, the bill introduced once again by Democrat Assemblyman Kevin McCarty made it out of committee and is ready for a floor vote.
But Newsom is openly opposing the bill, Fox News reported.
“I will not sign legislation that bans youth tackle football,” Newsom said on Tuesday. “I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of our young athletes, but an outright ban is not the answer.”
“We will consult with health and sports medicine experts, coaches, parents, and community members to ensure California maintains the highest standards in the country for youth football safety,” Newsom added. “We owe that to the legions of families in California who have embraced youth sports.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference at the California Justice Department on September 18, 2019, in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The California legislature has a super majority of Democrats, so they can override the gov. if they want. Still, no veto by a Democrat gov. has been overridden in 40 years, Fox noted. So, if that record holds, the ban proposal will probably die once again.
The bill would ban tackle football for children 12 and under and maintains that tackle football is a danger to kids.
Supporters of the tackle football ban say that the risk of concussion in children is far too great to allow the game to be played.
But youth tackle football has been in decline in California for years, dropping more than 18 percent from the number of players seen in 2015.
A Youth Pee-Wee football player heads up field during a pre-game exhibition before the game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. on Sunday, December 31, 2006. (Photo by Kirby Lee/NFLPhotoLibrary)
In 2015, there were 103,725 young people playing tackle football, but by 2022, that number fell to 84,626, according to a California Interscholastic Federation’s participation survey. There was a slight uptick in new players in 2023, raising the number of participants to 89,178 players.
Newsom did support a bill in 2021 that limited full-contact football practices for youths to only twice a week at 30 minutes per practice. Coaches are also now required to go through training on the signs of concussion.
This week, Newsom reiterated his support for a focus on sports safety.
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