VIDEO: Local Football Organization Shines A Light On Player Safety

STARKVILLE, Miss, (WCBI)- Football is a fun sport that many kids enjoying playing.

However, with the recent rise in the number of head injuries caused by the sport, some parents are debating whether they want to their son’s to play the hard hitting sport.

The increased number of concussions and concussion related injuries is shinning a light on how the game is played.

Although football is a physical sport, some parents believe it’s still a fun and safe sport if its taught the right way, just ask Latoya Bogard, her son plays for the Starkville Cowboys.

“He looks forward to every Saturday, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday coming out here and practicing and showing the kids what he can do,” said Bogard, describing her son’s excitement for the game.

Her son  plays center on the football team and she hopes one day he’ll be able to earn a scholarship.

However, as much as she enjoys seeing her son have fun, Bogard admits, as a mother, sometimes the physical nature of the sport worries her.

“With him playing center, sometimes I’m concerned about his head being down and him getting hit, but they’ve taught him.”

She’s comfortable because she knows the league her son plays in takes pride in teaching the young athletes the proper techniques and fundamentals of the game.

“We do what we call the Heads Up football training, said Rodney Johnson, president of the Starkville Cowboys. “We make sure all of our coaches are trained in Heads Up safety football. Heads Up is just teaching the kids the right way to tackle, keeping your head up, not tackling with your head down and hurting your neck or getting injured. Concussions are a big issue.”

Johnson said all of the coaches are certified and know the signs and protocol of a concussion.

“We don’t play with concussions, that something we take seriously especially when you’re talking seven and eight-year-olds kids, that’s just something we don’t take chances with,” Johnson expressed.

If a player takes a big hit, Johnson said the coaches will bring that player over to the sidelines and ask him a few generic questions to make sure the young athlete is alright.

Johnson said he believes teaching the players the correct way to play at an early age goes a long way.

“Learning at an early age how to tackle, learning what not to do to get yourself injured, to me it shows when they get to high school and get to the college level,” Johnson explained. “I have seen kids when they were playing at a small age going all the way up to high school, and it shows, learning at an early age, learning those basics it makes a big difference.”

“When I go out and I’ll watch him play, if he gets hurt I don’t know what I would do, but they teach him,” said Bogard. “They’ve been teaching them since he was six or seven years old how to tackle properly, how to hit properly, so knowing that he knows how to hit, and how to protect himself, that makes me feel much more comfortable letting him play football.”

The league also has a doctor on its staff to help monitor all of the players in case an injury does happen.

Johnson said having proper and up-to-date equipment also helps them ensure player safety.