Massachusetts is failing its high school football players

It's those young athletes who need more than they are currently getting from the hodge-podge of a system in Massachusetts that provides safety guidelines without mandates and an every-team-for-itself attitude. No student athlete's health should depend on which coach they play for or whether a school can afford a trainer or extra safety equipment. The most recent national study of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a neuro-degenerative disease, focused on NFL players who died within the past six years, including 235 whose brains were donated to the research effort conducted by Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion and CTE Foundation. Of those brains actually examined — the only way to positively identify CTE is post-mortem — CTE was confirmed in 215 of them, leading researchers to conclude that 'At minimum, nearly a quarter of all former NFL players who died during 2016-21 had CTE neuropathology at death.' Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez, who died by suicide in 2017 while in prison following a murder conviction, was among those whose brain showedStage 3 CTE. He was 27 years old. As Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, lead author of the study, told the Globe,'These athletes didn't just get their head injury exposure at the professional level. They got exposed to head impacts at the collegiate level, at the high school level, and in many cases the youth level. All of those hits accumulated to increase their risk of having this pathology in their brain.' Of course, football isn't the only sport that poses risks of CTE, especially at the youth level. Anearlier studyof young athletes and repeated head trauma found brain-cell loss, inflammation, and vascular damage among those who competed not just in football, but in such contact sports as hockey and soccer. That study found that non-concussive or 'sub-concussive' hits — like heading a soccer ball or taking a check in hockey — can take a toll on youthful brains as well. Clearly parents — and student athletes — are becoming more aware of the risks, which might account for the17 percent drop in football sign-upsin Massachusetts in the last 15 years (compared to 7 percent nationally). The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which follows the lead set by the National Federation of High Schools, determines the rules for sports in some380 member schools. But its safety protocols are at best modest. For example, it mandates that thefirst five days of football practice must be for conditioning and 'limited contact' sessions. After Labor Day 'full contact' practices are limited to a total of 60 minutes a week or 90 minutes during a week without a scheduled game. This is what legendary Dartmouth College football coach the lateBuddy Teevenstold his players in 2010 when he outlawed full contact practices: 'In four years, you will never tackle another Dartmouth football player.' The entireIvy Leaguefollowed suit in 2016. Yes, that's how far behind the times the MIAA rules are. The MIAA also mandates a 'licensed physician, licensed athletic trainer, or certified EMT' be present for all games, but says nothing on the issue of trainers at practice. Dr. Lee Mancini, chair of the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee,told the Globe's Matt Porter,'If I could wave my magic wand, the thing I would ask for the most would be to have a full-time athletic trainer in every public high school in Massachusetts.' Sure, the state has detailedconcussion protocolsfor public school athletes, but if there's no one on site to diagnose an injury in real time during practice, students and their coaches are left to thrash it out. Weeks before Sharon High football playerRohan Shuklasuffered a traumatic brain injury in the Thanksgiving game of 2024, three school nurses there told investigators hired to probe the incident for the school system that they had begged to have the school hire a full-time trainer. They said they were aware of three injured student athletes returning to play without the proper medical clearances. There are also improvements in equipment that could be used at the high school level. Helmet covers, called Guardian caps, provide an extra layer of cushioning to players. The NFLmandates the capsfor linemen, linebackers, tight ends, running backs, and fullbacks in practice. About 20 NFL players wear them during games. But they have not been mandated by the MIAA either for practice or games. Xaverian BrothersHigh School, with three consecutive Division 1 championships under its belt, began using them in practice in 2023. At least a handful of other programs inmore affluent communities— Weston, Wellesley, Swampscott, and Marblehead — use them, although their cost (most are under $100) seems like short money given the latest CTE study results. Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff told Porter that when his team faces a more physical opponent he suggests that his linemen wear the caps during the game. 'They always decline,' he said. We're talking about teenage boys here — natural bornrisk takers. Coaches may need to do more than just suggest. No, there's no silver bullet that will take the risk out of a full-contact sport. But when it comes to protecting teenage athletes, it's the adults around them who need to step up. Parents need to demand more of coaches and schools. Coaches and schools need to demand more of organizations like the MIAA. Massachusetts, as a community that isn't likely to abandon its love affair with football, needs to do far more to protect its young players. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us@GlobeOpinion.