JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Even with football helmets, a noted doctor believes that parents who allow their kids to play football are child abusers.
"He's a little concerned -- at 9 years old -- about it," parent Rob Kemp said.
Kemp said his son is staying away from playing tackle football because even he is worried about possible head injuries that some NFL players are experiencing.
Football is the topic of conversation tonight on @ActionNewsJax. A doctor says letting kids play tackle football is child abuse. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/PbUbPU2S94
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) November 22, 2017
"Some of them having deaths and just later in life not being able to function correctly," Kemp said.
Hard hits to the head can cause certain brain injuries.
The doctor who first discovered the first case of CTE in an NFL football player, Dr. Bennet Omalu, said letting a child play football under the age of 18 is child abuse.
I spoke to parents who tell me their kids are sticking to flag football because there is too much risk with brain injuries with tackle football @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/XEPnLxE9aB
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) November 22, 2017
"Sending out a child to a field to suffer intentionally inflicted brain damage … there is 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage. If that is not the classic definition of child abuse, what is?" Omalu said to our sister station WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Parent Cathy Garland said she doesn’t disagree with the potential dangers of tackle football, but said calling it child abuse is a stretch.
Other parents say they played tackle football growing up and nothing happened to them. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/pHShcH7A5Q
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) November 22, 2017
"I think we're pushing the limits on what parents can and can't do or are willing to do with children," Garland said.
While other parents wouldn’t have a problem with their kids throwing on a helmet and playing the sport.
"I grew up playing tackle football and there's nothing wrong with me," parent Vitto Ferrara said.
.#VOTE: Do you agree with the doctor's opinion that letting kids play football and subjecting them to possible head injuries could be seen as child abuse? @ActionNewsJax
— Danielle Avitable (@Danielle_NBC4) November 22, 2017
Even with the protective head gear, Omalu said it’s best to keep keeps off the field.
“So knowing what we know today, why would you place a helmet on a child and send him out to a field to suffer brain damage,” Omalu said.
According to the Greater Jacksonville Pop Warner football conference, there are steps taken to ensure the safety of players.
They set strict age and weight groups to reduce injuries.
Cox Media Group